Derbyshire residents invited to have their say over the parish council's 93.2 per cent council tax precept rise

Residents in Creswell are furious that the parish council has nearly doubled their tax to help pay for the running costs of the new leisure centre. The price hike means residents in Elmton and Creswell will be paying more than any of the other 16 parishes in the Bolsover District region.

A public meeting organised by the parish council will take place on Wednesday April 17 at 7pm at Creswell Events Centre. Members of the public are asked to forward their questions in advance to [email protected] by 1pm on Friday April 12.

The Elmton with Creswell Parish Council precept is currently around £172.50 but this will rise to £332.95 – depending on which band council taxpayers in the region fall into.

The price increase has been blamed on the spiraling debts and operational losses of the new multi-million-pound leisure centre – Creswell Heritage and Wellbeing Centre that opened in April 2023.

Councillor Duncan McGregor, Chair of Elmton with Creswell Parish Council described the increase as “a necessity” in order to keep the leisure centre running. But Mark Fletcher, MP for Bolsover, described the increase as “ludicrous” and said he had written to the parish council asking for an explanation behind the decision.

The financial difficulties facing the centre were discussed at the parish council meeting in January at which the deficit generated for 2023/24 was estimated to be between £170,000 and £240,000.

Councillor Duncan McGregor, Chair of Elmton with Creswell Parish Council said: “Our local community made it quite clear that they wanted a new leisure facility, so that’s what we set about trying to achieve and that is what we have today.

“We have all worked tirelessly and done everything within our power to make Creswell Heritage and Wellbeing Centre a reality and the first twelve months have been a great success. Like any building of this nature, it takes time. Time to build up a customer base. Time to develop activities. And time to make money, the councillor added.