Since 1894 Town and Parish Councils have had the right to levy a local tax called a ‘Parish Precept’.

From 1974 to 2012 all the local parish and town councils were funded by an annual grant from the Borough Council.

This arrangement ended in 2012 /2013 and from then on the Parishes and Towns were given little choice but to levy a ‘Parish Precept’ to fund their own spending and running costs.

In Desborough the ‘Precept’ is set each year as part of the Town Council budgetary process and the amount for each year since it was first introduced is set out below.

Desborough Parish Precept 2012 to 2023

2012 / 2013                 £10,000

2013 / 2014                 £10,000

2014 / 2015                 £20,000

2015 / 2016                 £67,000

2016 / 2017                 £350,000

2017 / 2018                 £349,700

2018 / 2019                 £280,000

2019 / 2020                 £75,016

2020 / 2021                 £74,999                                              

2021 / 2022                 £73,785

2022 / 2023                 £73,590

Since 1974 there have only been three years when there were no Labour representatives on Desborough Town Council.

Can you guess which years?

(Desborough Labour Party 17-04-2021)