Council taxes are to increase following the approval of a budget by the council on Monday but there will be no consultation with the public over devolved assets.

Dartmouth Town Council said that they will apply for an increase from South Hams District Council for 2018, to take the precept to £304,486, up from £295,618 this year.

Councillor Paul Allen said at this week’s council meeting that this would mean, for a band D property valued at £68,001 to £88,000, an 8% increase or £3.23 per family.

The increase in ‘precept’ is on top of the 64% increase last year. Most of last year’s substantial increase was to enable the council to deal with the ‘assets’ to be taken on from South Hams. These were to be taken on last April but today still remain under South Hams’ ownership.

The Mayor of Dartmouth, Councillor Richard Cooke, told the council at Monday’s council meeting, that although the increased precept for devolved assets had not been ring-fenced, the funds had been set aside. Spending from these funds was limited to costs for solicitors fees and advertising for potential staff.

Cllr Cooke said about the devolved assets: “There has not been as much to report as I would wish. The title deeds (for the assets to be taken over) have been researched and a 30 page report is available in the office.

“I have sent it to our solicitors to compare to the heads of terms. Had that been ok, I had hoped to bring it to the council to say yes or no.”

Cllr Cooke continued that there were two points raised months ago that have not been resolved. The council has nowhere to store green waste from cutting lawns and hedges and secondly, no agreement has been reached about who is going to empty the bins on what would be council property.

There was an offer that the council would exchange the cutting of grass and hedges on South Hams property remaining in Dartmouth, in exchange for South Hams emptying the bins on council property but this remains an open point.

Cllr Cooke confirmed that in the future, with payments from South Hams of £150,000 in year one and £120,000 in year two following any transfer, that there would be no problem balancing the books of the council.

At the council meeting, following Cllr Cooke’s presentation, an attempt was made by Council Steve Smith and Councillor Iris Pritchard, to ensure the council does not take on services and assets, which have been termed ‘liabilities’ by South Hams Leader John Tucker, without public consultation. They characterised the vote on the devolved assets as something that would have ramification for years.

Cllr Paul Allen said: It has been reported in the paper, that there would be “no consultation” to which the Cllr Cooke said: “You don’t want to believe what you read in the paper”.

He went on to say that the report of “no consultation” was a report of his response to an email concerning the need for a referendum and that the council had not the ability to run, nor could afford the cost of a referendum.

Cllr Fyson characterised the report of the interview with the leader of South Hams as a major influence in forming opinion but as “a totally scurrilous interview designed to undermine this council”.

Key points were made by Cllr Fyson in a lengthy speech which can be heard in full on a video of council meeting on the Chronicle website. The points included, in relation to Cllr John Tucker’s interview with the Chronicle: “I feel strongly we should respond to this kind of criticism, disinformation, there’s no other word for it”.

In relation to devolved ‘assets’, Cllr Fyson said: “We have concluded that we can do the job cheaper than South Hams can.” In relation to public consultation he said: “We need a wider discussion but it will fall well short of a referendum.”

Cllr Smith had reminded the mayor that he had proposed a resolution that had been seconded, calling for public consultation before a vote by the council took place.

Cllr Fyson was called upon by the mayor to table an amendment to Cllr Smith’s resolution which he completed at a second attempt, when he said: “The tapping of public opinion should take place during the final stages of the negotiations not at the end and that we, in the first instance, ask the negotiating team to look at ways that this might be achieved.”

Cllr Smith accepted the amendment to his resolution and it was carried.