Template:Courier-OCT-25-6
COUNCIL GRANTS PAVE THE WAY FOR VILLAGE PROJECTS
The Parish Council continues to offer strong support to numerous projects in Claygate, including four grants under the Community Infrastructure Levy this year, two of which, totalling £16,564, went towards the Holy Trinity Church Way Maker project to reinvent the churchyard as a place of quiet reflection and enjoyment for the community, as well as providing an attractive pathway through to the Recreation Ground.
The Community Infrastructure Levy is a charge that can be imposed by Elmbridge Borough Council on specific new building developments, with part of the money being made available to the Parish Council to be spent on projects that could not otherwise be supported from the Parish Precept or other funds.
Other CIL projects have included £16,100 towards drainage for the playing field at Claygate Primary School, providing a much-needed opportunity for the school to enhance extracurricular activities and draw many new people into the school to utilise this facility. And the Parish Council granted £6,000 of CIL funding to the Claygate Youth and Community Hub for a safe break-out room for the young people attending.
A sum of £50,000, originally put aside to assist the Winning Horse pub project, should it have been successful in raising all other funds, remains in the CIL fund available for other projects now it is clear that the Community Ownership Fund had been suspended by the Government.
The Parish Precept is an annual levy raised on all council taxpayers and based, like council tax, on the value of their property. It is separate from the council tax, which goes to Surrey County Council and Elmbridge Borough Council, and separate from the levy raised by Surrey Police.
All the money collected for the Parish Precept is spent in Claygate, for Claygate residents. Through its grants, the Parish Council supported the Claygate Village Association with hire of the Village Hall for the Get Involved Day and a grant towards the CVA's forthcoming Christmas Lights event and its Christmas Tree on The Green.
The Council is able to continue supporting local causes thanks to the increase in the annual Parish Precept in line with inflation, which for eight years from 2016 through to 2024 remained unchanged so that its value was eroded. This made it difficult to provide many services and to support projects. The levy was therefore increased by 12 per cent for the 2024-25 year, and by 2.5 per cent, in line with inflation, in 2025-26, meaning a Band D equivalent property pays £16.25 for for the year to the end of March 2026.
Any local group or organisation planning a project to benefit the community might be eligible for a Parish Council grant or Community Infrastructure Levy support.
Please visit the council's website claygateparishcouncil.gov.uk or contact the Parish Clerk at clerk@claygateparishcouncil.gov.uk to find out more.
