A TEESDALE town council will be increasing its precept by 10.5 per cent.
Barnard Castle Town Council's proposal to raise its precept from £50,500 to £55,810, was given the go-ahead by the full council on Monday evening.
The council's finance committee looked at the prospective budget for the coming year and made several recommendations.
One of the largest raises in expenditure will be the town's Christmas Festival.
The expenditure for this in 2005/6 was £10,650 and this will be increased to £11,400 for the coming year.
After criticism last year, the council was forced to put on a reduced lights display and spend money out of its contingencies on replacing broken motifs, and an increased budget would lead to an improved display.
The town clerk, Geoff Bosworth, said: "In view of current concerns about the Christmas lights display, it is considered by both the Christmas festival committee and the finance committee that a substantial increase in the Christmas festival budget is required, to ensure that the necessary improvements are made.
"In addition, it is hoped to resurrect the town council's festival event around the tree."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article