The journey to set next year's Midsomer Norton Council tax will start today (October 16) when the Finance and Operations Committee consider the first draft of the Annual Town Council Budget for 2024-2025.

This will be the first budget set by the new Council, elected in May, with Town Councillors keen not to revisit the shambolic events of the previous administration, which set a Precept (Council Tax) in February, without approving the budget until April, prompting the resignations of the Clerk and Deputy Clerk and a Town Councillor.

The preparation of an annual budget is one of the key statutory tasks undertaken by the Town Council.

Not only does the budget determine the level of precept, or tax, collected by the charging authority, in this case B&NES, it allows the Clerk and other officers overall authority to make spending commitments in line with the decisions of the council and enables progress monitoring during the year by comparing actual spending against planned spending.

In a change from last year's approach, Monday's Finance and Operations meeting will be open to the public, where the previous budget was set in a behind closed doors Working Party. However, the spectre of last years budget lingers on with the Finance and Operations meeting also set to consider the External Auditors Report and Certificate 2022/23.

The agenda notes that the Town Council : "is required by law to publish its AGAR, including the signed external auditor report, by 30 September this year; however, we are unable to certify completion of our review work on the AGAR and supporting documentation prior to 30 September to allow the smaller authority to fulfil this requirement".

At this time no external auditors report has been published by the Town Council.