I AM writing concerning the proposal of Darlington Borough Council to stop the council tax support grant to parish councils from the 2017-18 financial year.

The support grant was introduced by the government when Darlington Borough Council stopped its own parish grant from the 2013-14 financial year. The government stepped in to provide grant aid to help Parish Councils to continue to provide community services and to cushion the increases in council tax as a result of the withdrawal of the parish grant.

In February last year the then local government minister wrote to councils such as Darlington urging them to pass on the support grant to Parish Councils.

Darlington Borough Council has continued to do this.

I did not know anything about the Borough Council’s proposal to stop the council tax support grant until I read about it on The Northern Echo’s website. There was no prior consultation by Darlington Borough Council.

The Parish Council would have expected to have been consulted by officers of Darlington Borough Council as a matter of courtesy before it was announced to the press but they did not do so.

The Parish Council prides itself on controlling expenditure, maximising its income and living within its means. It is a financially sound local authority. The Parish Council has only increased the precept once in the past five financial years because of the loss of the parish grant in 2013 and will not be increasing the precept in the next financial year.

It is too early to say what the consequences will be if the council tax support grant is withdrawn from the 2017-18 financial year but I am already starting to recalculate the budget for that year to take account of the possible withdrawal of the grant.

Alan MacNab, clerk to Whessoe Parish Council