Last night Elmton with Creswell Parish Council held a public meeting for parishioners to raise their concerns about the 93% increase in the parish precept element of their council tax bill. The increase makes Elmton with Creswell the most expensive place to live and pay council tax in the Bolsover District.
Unfortunately due to being required in Westminster I was unable to attend, however one of my team was at the meeting.
Over 70 parishioners attended and expressed dissatisfaction with the transparency and communication of the Parish Council, raised serious concerns over the affordability of the new leisure centre, and demanded a clear five-year business plan and greater accountability from the council. The Parish Council Chair faced strong criticism for not addressing concerns effectively.
Of questions that were answered, it transpired that, were it not for the Creswell Heritage and Wellbeing Centre losing substantial amounts of money, the increase would have been a far more reasonable 9.4%. Options such as selling or leasing the building to third parties were raised to address the financial burden on the parish.
The council committed to responding to all questions in writing following their next Parish Council Meeting (April 25th). I don't hold out a great deal of hope, as during the meeting the chair, Cllr Duncan McGregor, who is also Deputy Leader of Bolsover District Council, was asked why he had not yet responded to my letter, sent on behalf of constituents, dated 15th March. His response - "I don't want to reply to him".
I am reviewing the notes from the meeting to consider the next steps. In the meantime please, if you haven't already, sign my petition https://www.mark-fletcher.org.uk/elmton-creswell-parish...
