While local councils across the country are having to cut services and increase their precepts, Penzance Council is bucking the trend by investing in and improving local services for residents, whilst setting the lowest precept rise in over a decade.
At the Penzance Council meeting on Monday 19 January, which was open to the press and public, Councillors unanimously agreed a budget and earmarked reserves for 2026/27 and set out plans to spend almost £3 million (of which £2,528,957 will come from the precept) in the parish from 1 April 2026 for the benefit of local residents, whilst keeping the precept rise historically low for a second year running. This coming year’s annual increase, in real terms, is just two pence a week for a Band D property – an annual increase of only 0.3% for every household.
Cllr Stephen Reynolds, Mayor of Penzance, said:
“At a time when many local people are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis, it’s welcome news that our Council has been able to keep the precept rise so low, while also enhancing the services we provide to the local community. It’s a testament to how a combination of prudent financial management, efficient and dedicated staff, and councillors with the community’s interests at heart can deliver quality public services without breaking the bank.”
Each year, Councillors vote on the Council’s budgets for the financial year ahead and decide what the precept will be: this is the amount the council collects from residents to provide local services and maintain public facilities. All the money residents pay to Penzance Council is spent within the parish across Penzance, Newlyn, Mousehole, Paul, Heamoor, Gulval and Eastern Green.
For the 2026/27 financial year, the Council is increasing its investment in local services by expanding its existing Leisure & Amenities Team. The boost in staff numbers will allow the Council to carry out more maintenance and improvement works. It will also provide capacity to take on further devolution opportunities from Cornwall Council, following the devolution of prominent open spaces and facilities over the last ten years: public toilets, Alexandra Play Park & Tennis Courts, Foxes Lane Play Park, and Princess May Recreation Ground.
The precept rise will also fund the refurbishment and expansion of the entrance and shop at Penlee House Gallery & Museum to improve the visitor experience and maximise sales, helping sustain this cultural icon into the future.
At the same time, Penzance Council will continue to invest in the local services it currently provides, including but not limited to:
- 7 Public Toilets and the Community Toilet Scheme
- An Anti-Social Behaviour Caseworker
- 19 CCTV cameras in Penzance Town Centre
- Wherrytown Skateboard Plaza
- Penlee Park
- Penlee House Gallery & Museum
- Princess May Recreation Ground
- Alexandra Play Park & Tennis Courts
- Heamoor Old School Field
- Foxes Lane Playpark, Mousehole
- Parish-wide weeding – around 120km of pavements across the whole Parish
- Watering the hanging baskets in the town centre during the summer
- Additional footpath clearance across the Parish
- Wellfields Car Park
A full list of Penzance Council services is available online: www.penzance-tc.gov.uk/what-we-do
In addition to these services, Penzance Council also provides grants to community organisations and local events which benefit residents in the Parish of Penzance. The ongoing impacts of the cost-of-living crisis continue to affect residents, so the Council will continue to offer funding to local organisations who are working on the ground to support those most in need.
In this current financial year, over £40,000 has already been awarded in grant funding to: Friends of Penzance Burial Ground (Heamoor) CIC, Citizens Advice Cornwall, West Cornwall Women’s Aid, YMCA Cornwall, Redwing Contemporary Art CIC, Montol Festival CIC, Penzance Community Flora Group, St Piran in Penwith, Solomon Browne Memorial Hall, Newlyn Harbour Lights, and the Hypatia Trust.
Penzance Council is also the lead partner for the Golowan Festival and has a current agreement with Golowan Festival CIC to deliver the festivals until 2027, when the tender will be reviewed. The Council will be providing £40,600 for this coming year’s festival, with an additional youth provision allowance of £6,000. The festival has been an important part of the town’s calendar for over thirty years and is much loved by locals and visitors alike. Additionally, Penzance Council has budgeted for Service Level Agreements with Jubilee Pool, Pengarth Day Centre, Penzance & Newlyn Youth, and Sustainable Penzance totalling over £100,000, which will deliver important community services and leisure facilities, and help us tackle climate change.
About the precept and the Council Tax bill:
As Band D falls in the middle of the eight Council Tax Bands, it is the standard measure used by local councils to announce their precept. However, 80% of households in the Penzance Parish are Council Tax Bands A-C, which means the vast majority of households will see a real-terms increase of less than £1 per year. This works out as less than 2p a week.
It should also be noted that Penzance Council is only increasing the small portion of Council Tax allocated to the town council; the total Council Tax bill is not increasing by 0.3%. Cornwall Council have not yet voted on their precept for 2026/27, but have proposed a Draft Budget which will see their Council Tax rise by 4.99%.
Based on last year’s Council Tax bill, Penzance Council’s precept accounted for just 13% of the total bill paid by households in the parish. The remaining 87% was split between Cornwall Council and the Devon & Cornwall Police and Crime Commissioner. These shares of the bill will be very similar for the upcoming year.
As was the case last year, Cornwall Council charges an additional 100% Council Tax premium on second homes, of which there are 444 registered across the Penzance parish. This, along with new housing, has increased the tax base for the Parish, helping keep the precept increase to 0.3%.
How we set our precept:
Ahead of the Penzance Council Meeting on 19 January, the Chair and Lead Officer of each standing Committee that has an individual budget (Arts & Culture, Finance & General Purposes, and Leisure & Amenities) formed draft budgets for the coming financial year.
To ensure full scrutiny was given and to allow open discussion, the proposed budgets went through each Committee once, at meetings that were open to the press and public to attend and participate.
Independent accountants, who specialise in Local Government finance, were also contracted to examine the budgets and precept, and to provide financial advice and suggestions to the Committee Chairs and senior Council Officers.
Anyone who thinks they will struggle to pay their Council Tax is encouraged to contact Cornwall Council’s Benefits Team to find out whether they could be eligible for Council Tax Support which could cover some of the costs of their bill. The team can be contacted by phone: 0300 1234 121 or visit: http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/benefits-and-support/council-tax-support/can-i-claim-council-tax-support
