DARTMOUTH Town Council has agreed an inflation-busting 10 per cent hike in its spending from next April.

Expenditure of £180,860 is being budgeted for in 2015/16 – a rise of £16,441 on the current financial year.

It will mean a band D property in Dartmouth can expect a precept increase of £2.12p over the year, but the final council tax figure has yet to be determined as it will include spending by Devon County Council, South Hams Council, the fire service and police.

Next year's budget was approved at Monday's town council meeting. Afterwards, town clerk Tracy Rowe said: 'The services we provide offer good value for money.'

Major works planned include a £50,000 upgrade of the historic Guildhall, £50,000 to the Dartmouth and District Indoor Pool fund, £10,000 towards redecoration of the Butterwalk and £10,000 for treating the market walls for damp.

Finance committee chairman Cllr Roger Chilcott told the meeting: 'The council has a lot of commitments ahead.

'We have to be very aware how we budget.'

Deputy mayor Cllr Richard Cooke, chairman of the Guild­hall working group, said improvements needed to be made to bring the building up to a 'functioning community asset'.

Top of the agenda was to renew the upstairs kitchen to cater for events and access to the ballroom would be made easier by the installation of a lift, he said.

'It is essential for a building of this size,' he said.

Work also needed to be carried out on testing and upgrading the 'antiquated' electricity supplies, the meeting heard.

'We have to set our minds to manage and market it [the Guildhall],' said Cllr Cooke.

And he suggested that possibly an intern or graduate could be taken on to work with the town council, the TIC and business improvement district, to market and promote the town.