RESIDENTS could be in line for record increases in their parish council tax from April.

In the past week, jumps of up to 50 per cent have been seen as parish councils across the borough decide how to absorb the financial impact of taking on frontline services offloaded by Swindon Borough Council.

The biggest percentage increase seen so far is in Haydon Wick where the precept is to go up by 50 per cent - the North Swindon parish was an early adopter of borough services and while it was assisted financially in providing them this year, the future cost has led to a steep rise.

The amount paid by the average household will go from £33 to £50 a year for 2017/18.

In Wroughton, the increase was smaller in percentage terms but a higher starting point means residents in the village will pay £133 for a band D property - 16.5 per cent more than the previous year.

But it is in Stratton St Margaret, the parish that resisted taking on borough services for longer than any other, that the biggest bills are likely to be seen.

Opting for a 27 per cent increase compared to 2016/17, councillors voted by 11 to five to hand residents a bill averaging out at £168 per year.

The decision means that even those in the lowest council tax band homes will still pay £84 per year, while those in the most high-value homes will have to shell out almost £336 just in parish taxes.

Stratton’s parish councillors were not united in their support for the move.

Coun Tara Page warned a meeting of the full council about what the public’s response might be.

“I understand about the budget constraints but I really don’t see how we can raise it by 27 per cent, we are going to be lynched.”

Joe Tray, chairman of Stratton St Margaret Parish Council, told his fellow councillors that the borough council was passing on responsibility for StreetSmart services at the same time as reducing the council tax support grant.

The meeting also heard that the parish council-run leisure centre is expected to make a loss of more than £110,000 this year, a burden factored into the precept calculation.

Coun Tray said: “The council regrets the need to increase the precept; however the parish is continually striving to reduce unnecessary costs by streamlining its staffing and reducing some of its activities that were not economic.

“Over the course of this year we will continue to look for additional savings.”

The four new parishes will decide their figures during meetings to be held at the end of the month.

Coun Tray warned he fears that Stratton’s precept may “pale into insignificance” when precepts for the new areas are released.