PARISH council tax precepts will increase by more than six per cent for households in a North Somerset village.

Bleadon Parish Council took the unanimous decision to raise its precept for 2012/2013 at a meeting this week, meaning the amount paid for the council’s precept by a Band D resident will rise from �70 to �74.69 per year, a 6.69 per cent rise.

It is the first rise for Bleadon residents in four years.

The council considered raising the precept to �93 for the year to make up the �50,000 it needs for its budget this year but decided instead to take �10,000 from its reserves to minimise the tax rise.

Clerk Bruce Poole said: “This will be the first increase in four years. But we cannot continue using the reserves.”

Chairman Penny Skelley said: “We did think long and hard and I know how difficult finances are nationally.”