INTERVIEW: Why Morecambe Town Council is putting up Council tax this year

Morecambe Town Council's share of Council tax will rise but a leading councillor says this is so they can bring more services to the town.

Town residents will have to pay 4.09 per cent more to the town council in 2025/26, working out at a £3.99 increase year-on-year for a Band D property.

The increase will help maintain the council's current services including weeding of the town, and fund the return of a kite festival to Morecambe as part of the council's biggest ever festivals and events budget, pay for the return of spring flower bed planting, and fund £20,000 put aside towards a hoped-for ban on overnight parking for camper vans and motorhomes on Morecambe Promenade.

Morecambe Town Council's share of Council tax has come in for scrutiny in recent years, following the huge £1m rise in 2023/24 to help bid for a community project on the derelict Frontierland site - which never happened - and demands to return the money to taxpayers.

But Councillor Clark Kent, chair of the council's finance and governance committee, defended this year's increase.

LISTEN to our interview with Councillor Clark Kent (below)

"This year we are looking to bring spring planting back to the community, we're looking to bring a kite festival back to Morecambe, we are continuing to do additional funding for Baylight, and we're looking to do something about the traffic regulations for camper vans on the Promenade," said Councillor Kent.

"To do this, we need to carry some small type of increase to provide these services, and I think we've done it in the best way we can with a minimal impact to the precept for the Morecambe area.

"I understand people's concerns from two years ago - that was a different administration.

"It was very hard to find a mechanism to provide the full refund back to the people of Morecambe. So we've looked at different ways of how to return that money back to the community.

"Last year we dropped the precept. This year we have subsidised it again (by £179,000). We've got another budget next year for more precept subsidies to go back to the community.

"So slowly but surely in a reasonable manner, we're looking to return this money back to the community.

"We don't want to increase Council tax. We know the present situation. But with growing costs that we've got to consider with running the council, and providing the services that the community are hoping for the council to provide, we've got to look at some small increases to provide those services.

"I personally think it's a reasonable increase. Hopefully within the next three-four years we will keep this as low as possible, while maintaining the services for the local community."

The council currently has £752,000 in its reserves. Its own policy is to keep 50 per cent of annual expenditure in reserve.

This year, Morecambe Town Council's budgeted expenditure is £1.3m, up from £1.1m in 2024/25.

"The money we've got in reserves right now, we've been told from an audit that we've got to keep so much - a minimum of 25 per cent (of expenditure)," said Councillor Kent.

"When the (Frontierland) Community Fund was going ahead, there was no money in reserves. We had no contingency whatsoever.

"Having this money put aside, is important. One way or another, we would have needed to raise that money somewhere down the line.

"The money hasn't been earmarked for anything else, we will give it back to the community in a reasonable way, of keeping the precept down per year.

"Doing it this way, there's going to be hopefully no big shocks of £30-40 increases in future."

COUNCIL TAX - WHAT MORECAMBE RESIDENTS WILL PAY

The first draft of the 2025/26 budget, published before the town council's last meeting in January, proposed an 8.7 per cent rise and collecting a total precept from Morecambe taxpayers of £1.046m - up from £951,384 in 2024/25. It was a whopping £1.43m in 2023/24, the year of the rise dubbed 'The Frontierland Tax'.

The decision on the budget was then deferred, after a last-minute motion asked "to explore further potential savings".

Read more: Morecambe Town Council delays budget decision hoping to "reduce burden on taxpayers" - Beyond Radio

The revised budget called for a total precept of £1.007m.

This means £101.55 per Band D property for 2025/26 – equivalent to £1.95 a week or 28p a day. 

Over 90 per cent of Morecambe’s chargeable dwellings are Bands A-C and so will pay less – the equivalent of an additional 5-7p a week increase compared to 2024/25. 

Band A - £67.70 (annual increase of £2.66) 

Band B - £78.98 (annual increase of £3.10) 

Band C - £90.27 (annual increase of £3.55) 

Band D - £101.55 (annual increase of £3.99) 

The precept payable to Morecambe Town Council will make up around four per cent of the overall Council Tax bill for those living within the town council boundary. 

The rest of Morecambe residents' overall Council tax bill is distributed between Lancashire County Council, Lancaster City Council, and the police and fire authorities.

The city council will increase its share by 2.99 per cent in 2025/26, and the county council has proposed raising its share by 4.99 per cent.

Read more: Plans for balanced council budget will mean another tax rise for residents - Beyond Radio

"The 4.09 per cent increase comes in the context of 3 percent in inflation over the past 12 months (to which we are all exposed) plus the increase in National Insurance rates which town and parish councils are unable to reclaim (unlike higher-tier authorities) - of around 0.4 per cent," said a Morecambe Town Council spokesperson.

"The council's medium and long-term forecasting and planning would aim to deliver a precept subsidy of over £700,000 between the 2024/25 and 2028/29 financial years (around £570,000 from prior Community Action Fund reserves and over £130,000 from other sources).

"For a Band D resident, it is hoped this will equate to subsidy of approximately £72 across the period.

"This final point obviously comes with the caveat that budgets are set year by year and therefore subject to change until they are formally voted on by council each year."

Morecambe Town Council also received £73,828.07 from Lancashire County Council to provide districtwide weeding services.

As part of the 2025/26 budget, the council has used a £115,000 subsidy from its reserves - where the £1m raised two years ago was held - to help reduce Council tax.

There was also a £64,000 underspend from the previous financial year which has gone towards cutting the precept.

This £179,000 followed a £150,000 subsidy which helped cut Council tax in 2024/5.

The council has also budgeted for £40,000 in estimated income over the next year.

HOW MORECAMBE TOWN COUNCILLORS VOTED

At Thursday night's budget meeting at Morecambe Town Hall, the majority of Morecambe town councillors voted in favour of the budget.

Councillors Russell Walsh, Geoff Knight, Roger Dennison, Martin Bottoms, Clark Kent, Lee Bradbury, Wayne Dixon, Debbie Knight, Jackie Rogerson and Jason Slater (Morecambe Bay Indepdendents); Joanne Ainscough, Claire Cozler, Christian Ainscough and John Goodrich (Labour); Paul Hart, Jim Pilling and Monika Stenneken (Liberal Democrats) all voted in favour.

Councillor Patricia Clarke (independent) abstained.

Councillors Margaret Pattison (below) and John Hanson (Labour) voted against.

After the meeting, both councillors Pattison and Hanson told Beyond Radio they had voted against the budget because of the rise in Council tax.

Councillor Pattison said: "I feel that with the (reserves) money we've got in the bank, we've got enough.

"I know that all the different (projects) we are bringing forward are good, but I'm thinking of people who are struggling."

Councillor Hanson said: "We are still getting asked about that £1m (Frontierland tax) and they are talking about putting Council tax up."

READ ALL THE BACKGROUND TO THE FRONTIERLAND TAX

2024 

Controversial Frontierland plans would have left Morecambe Town Council with 'critically low' reserves - Beyond Radio

"It's wrong...give people their money back" plea over Morecambe Town Council tax controversy - Beyond Radio

Morecambe Town Council proposes tax cut but no full refund of controversial £1m Frontierland hike - Beyond Radio

2023

Morecambe Town Council makes bombshell U-turn on Frontierland plan - Beyond Radio

Row over Frontierland rumbles on as Morecambe councillor labels tax rise "disgusting" - Beyond Radio

Morecambe Town Council to raise £1m from taxpayers in attempt to acquire Frontierland - Beyond Radio

HOW MORECAMBE TOWN COUNCIL WILL SPEND YOUR MONEY IN 2025/26

CORPORATE SERVICE

Office Rent/Room Hire £ 25,000

Staffing £338,500 

Admin and Office Supplies £12,500

Professional Services £22,500

Insurance £6,000

Audits £10,000

Training (Councillors) £5,000

IT Infrastructure £15,000

Civic Expenses/Councillor Expenses £3,000

TOTAL £437,500.00

PUBLIC REALM

Equipment £10,000

Staffing (Public Realm) £307,500

Fleet Repair £5,000

Fleet Purchase £45,000

Utilities £2,000

Weed Control (LCC) £10,000

Weed Control (MTC) £12,500

Software/Mobiles £6,000

Casual Staff £32,000

PPE £5,000

Public Realm Enhancements £50,000

Contingency £15,000

Allotments £5,000

Spring Planting £10,000

TOTAL £515,000 

COMMUNITY GRANTS

TOTAL £ 37,500 

FESTIVALS AND EVENTS

Festivals £63,000

Morecambe Lights £25,000

Equipment £15,000

Council Events/Partnerships £63,000

Staffing/Casual £69,500

Total - £235,500 

COMMUNICATIONS

General Communications £15,000

Community Engagement £15,000

Tourism £5,000

Website £ 5,000

Total £ 40,000

NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN

£15,000

EARMARKED RESERVES

Election costs - £31,000

Traffic Regulation Order (camper vans on Morecambe Prom) - £20,000

MORECAMBE TOWN COUNCIL BUDGET BREAKDOWN LAST YEAR (2024/25)

OFFICE RENT - £25,000

STAFFING - £275,000

ADMIN and OFFICE SUPPLIES - £15,000

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES - £15,000

INSURANCE - £5,000

AUDITS - £15,000

TRAINING - £6,000

ELECTION COSTS - £31,000

IT INFRASTRUCTURE - £15,000

CIVIC EXPENSES - £2,500

COMMUNITY GRANTS - £35,000

NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN - £5,000

CULTURAL SERVICES

FESTIVALS/EVENTS - £60,000

MORECAMBE LIGHTS - £20,000

COUNCIL EVENTS - £60,000

STAFFING/CASUAL - £59,000

TOWN MAINTENANCE

WEEDING SERVICES RECEIPTS - +63,295.67

EQUIPMENT PURCHASE - £80,000

PUBLIC REALM STAFF - £225,000

FLEET/EQUIPMENT REPAIRS - £5,000

MOTOR INSURANCE - £2,000

WEED CONTROL (LCC) - £10,000

WEED CONTROL (MTC) - £10,000

IT SOFTWARE/MOBILES - £10,000

CASUAL STAFF - £30,680

PPE- £5,000

PUBLIC REALM ENHANCEMENTS - £50,000

CONTINGENCY - £16,500

ALLOTMENTS (the council owns North Heysham and West End Allotment sites) - £2,500

COMMUNICATION

GENERAL COMMUNICATION - £15,000

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT - £15,000

WEBSITE - £22,000

TOURISM - £5,000

Read more: Plans revealed to bring a kite festival back to Morecambe - Beyond Radio

Overnight camper van parking ban on Morecambe Prom moves step closer after £20,000 "gauntlet" - Beyond Radio