EXMOUTH Town Hall administrators are asking for one of the lowest contributions from council taxpayers in England.

EXMOUTH Town Hall administrators are asking for one of the lowest contributions from council taxpayers in England.

This is despite having to take on and pay for a raft of new services from the district council including maintaining town clocks, seafront lights and paying for part-time groundsmen to attend some flowerbeds and planters.

The town hall’s precept - the town hall’s share of council tax for 2010/2011 – for a band D home remains at �30.

It compares favourably nationally – the National Association of Local Councils recently asked 223 town halls across the country to list their precept. Ninety-two responded with the average precept at �81.24 – over two-and-a-half times that of Exmouth - with the highest being Shildon Town Council in Dorset asking residents for �229.02 a year and the lowest being Portland Town Council, also in Dorset, asking for just �8.84.

One local council, Letchworth, has a zero precept offering very few services.

The figures also compare favourably locally with Axminster at �44.04, Budleigh Salterton’s �36.01, Honiton at �40.55, Lympstone at �36.10, Ottery St Mary’s �37.55, Seaton at �60.80 and Sidmouth at �43.