Trowbridge council tax cap referendum held

Trowbridge Town Council raises £2.6m from its share of council tax, but opposition parties say it is in too much debt

A local referendum is being held in Trowbridge, on whether to cap future tax rises by the town council to just 3%.

It follows a backlash to its 10% tax rise this year, but the result won't be binding.

Polls are open at the Civic Centre between 16:00 and 21:00 BST.

But a similar poll in Salisbury last month saw only a 4% turnout and is thought to have cost tens of thousands of pounds to run.

The vote is known as a "parish poll", and was called for by opposition Conservative councillor, Antonio Piazza.

"For the first time in Trowbridge's history, you've been given an opportunity here", Mr Piazza said.

"If you don't go out and vote today then you can't complain about council tax increases in the future," he said.

The ballot paper will ask: "Do you support a 3% cap on future increases in Trowbridge Town Council's precept and a parish poll consultation if any proposed increase is larger than 3%?"

'Fiscal incontinence'

Trowbridge Town Council increased its share of council tax by 10.1% this Spring - around £20 extra per year for an average Band D household - it said to fund the increased cost of running services.

The council is run by the Liberal Democrats, which have described the poll as "ideological vandalism", saying it was "pointless" as it is purely advisory.

Liberal Democrat councillor Stewart Palmen, leader of Trowbridge Town Council, said: "It's a major distraction that was totally unnecessary so I'm disappointed its going ahead and taking all this money.

"For a councillor to tell people that when they're answering this question today that they are somehow enabling their tax to be lowered is disingenuous and just simply not true.

"The only poll that counts is (local elections) May 2025. We'll be measured then on what we've delivered for the town."

But the poll is backed by South West Wiltshire's Conservative MP, Andrew Murrison, who accused the council of "fiscal incontinence".

"Trowbridge town council needs to focus on getting the basics right rather than spending its £2.6m budget on pet projects and then demanding even more from those it's meant to be serving", the MP said.

The poll was called by Conservative councillor Antonio Piazza, who has criticised the town's spending record

There are 27,436 potential voters covered by Trowbridge Town Council, but voters can only cast their ballots in person at the Civic Centre at St Stephen's Place within a five-hour window.

A similar parish poll held recently on the tax rises at Salisbury City Council recently saw only 992 of the city's potential 30,663 actually vote.

Wiltshire Council was called in to run the poll, and has sent the bill to Salisbury City Council.

Neither has yet released the total cost to taxpayers of running the vote, but it is thought to be tens of thousands of pounds.