It is important that residents understand the potential costs of a parish council and the likely cost to council tax payers within a parish. Parish councils are funded principally through an annual precept, an additional council tax levied on eligible individuals. The parish precept is added onto the council tax bill and collected by the principal council.
For illustrative purposes only, the table below shows the national average precept for all council tax bands. Nationally, the average Band D precept charged by a parish for 2018-19 is £64.05, an increase of £3.02, or 4.9%, from 2017-18.
Costs
| Council tax band | National average parish precept 2018/19 |
|---|
| Band A |
£42.70 |
| Band B |
£49.81 |
| Band C |
£56.93 |
| Band D |
£64.05 |
| Band E |
£78.28 |
| Band F |
£93.16 |
| Band G |
£106.75 |
| Band H |
£128.10 |
The precept is set by the principal council in the first year and then by the parish council itself once elected. This sum is levied on top of the standard council tax that you are eligible to pay. If you are exempt from paying council tax you will not have to pay the precept either.