Ledbury Town Council will set a council tax rise of 11.5 per cent for the next financial year, and the use of solicitors and consultants is one reason for the double-figure rise.

The town council has earmarked £57,500 for a "Special Projects" fighting fund, for a Neighbourhood Development Plan review, leading to an organisational review of the council. The fund could also prove useful if the town council finds itself fighting planning appeals. Some of the funds for Special Projects, however, will come from an budget underspend in the financial year, 2019/2020.

Fighting planning appeals seems increasingly likely, as opportunistic developers continue to eye up the green borders of the market town.

Town clerk, Angela Price said: "The professional fees are for solicitors and consultants. In particular the council will be hiring consultants for the NDP review, and they hope to be carrying out an organisational review of the council. The town council has recently been involved in planning appeals in respect of larger housing developments in the town; the professional fees will be used for any such consultants and/or solicitors representing the council in such matters."

Another reason for the 11.5 per cent precept rise is down to the fact the council has apparently been setting so-called "deficit budgets" for several years, because end of years balances which might might have gone to reserves have been used to reduce precept amounts being requested. Advice about this has been sought from the town council's internal auditor, and this practice has been discontinued. However, this does mean there is to be a one-off adjustment of £41,693 for the 2020/21 budget "to rectify the historical deductions from the council's previous precept requests".

Mrs Price said: "The consequence of requesting the full precept for 2020-21 is that the precept sits at its correct value – which includes an uplift of £41,693 which was the precept deficit equivalent to the working balance forecast for 31 March 2019 when the 2019-20 budget was set at the Full Council meeting on December 6 2018."

Concerning 2020/21, town councillors have been asked to "note that due to the one-off adjustment of £41,963 being made and the Special Projects being funded from the 2019/20 underspend, the council's precept requirement for 2020/21 is £531,978, which equates to an 11.5 per cent increase."