February Update from your Parish Council

Highways and Byways

The most significant highway issue has been the deep flooding outside Reed End Farm.  As I write this (19^th Jan) the road is closed for Vactor/CCTV investigation work by HCC.  Let’s hope that they solve the cause quickly and permanently.

The Causeway is marked for road closure on the 11^th/12^th February for work by Openreach.  Updates on road closures in the area can always be found on the one.network website.

The next village litter pick will be on the 7th March. Please come along and spend an hour or so to keep our community tidy. We are looking to place an additional waste bin in the Hay Green area and a new dog bin near the churchyard entrance from the Kelshall path.  Dog walkers are reminded to clean up after their dogs – the footpath between Rooks Nest Lane and Dane End is particularly bad at the moment.

Please observe the ‘No Parking’ signs round the Manse Green – these were placed there for your safety.  The infringements are mainly at school times when safety should be your primary concern.

Council Tax Precept 2026

The council has now set the budget and council tax precept for 2026.  Once again, in 2025, the parish council has had greater expenditure than income and has continued to eat into its very small reserves.    The projected spend to the end of March 2026 is around £17,300 against a total income of £13,900 .

As well as the regular expenditure, the council will have purchased two new notice boards, a new picnic table for the play park, contributed towards the new lunch club storage shed, and performed necessary maintenance in the play park.

Our anticipated spend for 2026-2027 is £12,400.  Therefore, the Parish Council has increased its Precept request this year from £10,000 to £13,200.   This will cover our anticipated spend and allow a small increment to our reserves which have been depleted this year.

The annual precept must be set to cover the parish’s annual expenditure and ensure that there are sufficient reserves to cover emergencies and unforeseen costs.  For a small council like Therfield the reserve should be around 9-12 months expenditure.

What does this mean for you?   A band G household precept contribution will increase by £17 per year (an increase from £62 to £79), which is an increase of 27%.  The council realises that this is a significant percentage increase for the second year in a row but it is considered necessary to retain any credibility in management of our finances.  In absolute terms, the precept is about 1.5% of your total council tax bill.  If you would like more detail on the budget then all of the council’s expenditure is available on its website.

We are still faced with replacing one or two major items in the play park which will cost many thousands.  However, as explained in previous months, until we are certain of the future security of the land lease, then the council is unwilling to commit to such large expenditure.  For large capital outlays the council would seek funding through grants, rather than additional council tax.

Council

We still have vacancies  for two councillors so if you are interested in getting involved in the management of the village then please come and talk to us or email clerk@therfieldparishcouncil.gov.uk

We held a council meeting on the 13th January at the Chapel. The agenda and minutes are available on the website and noticeboards.

Communication

The council will use the google group called the “hub” for sending out important information as well as using the official website.

If you are not currently subscribed to the hub, then we recommend that you sign up.  To do so send an email to hubtherfieldkelshall@gmail.com to be added to the list.  The links can also be found on the parish website.

Our operational site is www.therfieldparishcouncil.gov.uk .  

Please consult this site for information on meetings, notices etc.