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During the 2017/18 financial year Lostwithiel Town Council will receive £150,000 from local households, compared with £129,000 for the 2016/2017 financial year, an increase of 16%.

Councillors say the extra cash is needed to pay for essential services, including managing the toilets in Church Lane and potentially running a post office and the library.

Lostwithiel’s post office, based in Londis,  closed at the end of December and councillors believe the library is likely to be closed by Cornwall Council as it tries to save cash by shutting small branch libraries.

Mayor Ian Gillett said his council was looking into taking over both the Post Office and the Library and that would mean residents having to finance both operations.

Mr Gillett continued “If County Hall offers us the library, we need to have the running costs in place, so we’ve set aside money in the budget to that end. Mr Gillett also said operating a post office would be more complicated for his council, but the budget included money for pay for the equipment required.

During the Financial Year 2016/2017 a home-owner with a Band D property would have paid £130.44 to Lostwithiel Town Council.  The number of properties in  Lostwithiel has remained virtually the same since last year  (only a 1.5% increase) so a Band D Council tax payer should expect their contribution to Lostwithiel Town Council to increase to approx £150.

The future of the Post Office and Library will be discussed at the Town Council Meeting scheduled for 21^st February, starting at 7pm in the Church Rooms Lostwithiel.

(Source: based on an article by Oscar Morse in Cornwall Reports and Cornwall Council's Taxbase for 2017/18.)