Town Council Paying Over £25,000 Per Month in Staff Costs

Council Tax bills will start to arrive for households over the next two weeks ahead of the start of the new council finance year in April.

Alongside the 4.99% increase by Westmorland and Furness Council and the increase for both Police and Fire precepts.

People living in an average band D household in Penrith will pay £83.92 a year for Penrith Town Council in 2025-26 making Council Tax bills in Penrith among the most expensive in Westmorland and Furness.

The campaign to establish Penrith Town Council back in 2014 promoted that the town council would cost a Band D household in Penrith around £22 a year extra.

The town council was established with the first elections held in 2015 with the parish of Penrith served by the new council with one staff member in post as the Clerk and Responsible Financial Officer.

The council currently employs seven office-based members of staff covering a mix of full and part time roles.

Made up of the Town Clerk, Deputy Clerk, Contracts and Services Manager, Solicitor, Responsible Financial Officer, Economic Development Officer and Community Services Officer.

The town council now pays a staffing bill of over £25,000 per month for its seven staff members resulting in around 75% of the council's annual budget and precept covering staff costs annually with £330,985 for staffing costs in the town council's budget for 2025/26

In February the net pay to all staff totalled £14,549.18 the council also paid out £5592.06 in HMRC Tax and Ni for February plus £5509.04 in pension contributions giving a total staffing cost in just February of £25650.28

Through documents published by the council with a break down the net pay of each council officer after deductions in February was:

Town Clerk £3641.45

Deputy Clerk £1542.10

Contracts and Services Manager £3105.38

Solicitor £519.17

Responsible Financial Officer £1522.47

Economic Development Officer £2721.71

Community Services Officer £1541.90

The town council will from April like all employers face a sharp increase in employers National insurance contributions along side an annual public sector pay increase adding to the councils monthly staffing costs.

The current monthly staffing bill is the equivalent to 309 Band D households in Penrith each paying £83.92 over a 12 months period 3708 Band D households each paying £83.92 would be the equivalent required in council tax precepts by the town council just to cover Penrith Town Council’s staffing bills for the year.