The Council budget for 2026 - 2027, which was agreed at the Full Council meeting held on the 15th January 2026, has required a precept of £583,363 which, whilst a 10% increase is actually less than 19p extra per week for a Band D property. For Bishop’s Cleeve residents living in homes in Bands A to C, you will see an even smaller increase.
The Council has endeavoured to keep the increase as low as possible, however, with the cost of all services increasing, and with a growing requirement to provide for the community, the precept has had to rise to fund those services that are essential, as well as desirable for residents.
The decision to increase the precept by 10% was carefully considered and made with the aim of ensuring that vital local services are preserved and enhanced for the benefit of our community. The money raised through the precept stays within Bishop’s Cleeve, directly supporting local projects and services, and this year is helping to ensure that the area is maintained to a higher standard than last year by taking over the maintenace and cutting of the highway verges in the parish from Gloucestershire County Council. The County Council will continue to be responsible for the roundabouts and the verges along the A435 bypass. With Local Government reorganisation only two years away, the Council has also got to be mindful of the additonal responsibilites that will be filtering down to the Parish, and start preparing for trying to ensure that our community doesn’t suffer as a consequence of the changes coming.
The Council will continue to protect and maintain important services, including:
