TAXPAYERS in Pewsey will be paying more in the next financial year to meet extra administration costs.

The parish proportion of council tax is to rise by 13 per cent, an additional £3 for a Band D house, or six pence a week.

On top of the parish increase will have to be added any rises by the district and county councils.

Finance chairman Diane Hughes told the council last week that one reason for the increase was because of the decision to take on an assistant to help parish clerk Lindsay Mason, who had been working many hours in excess of her contract.

She said a second reason the increase was so high was that the parish council had avoided making cost of living increases in previous years.

"When we look back we have been very conservative with our spending in recent years," she said. "I think we are suffering from not increasing the precept in earlier years. In a way it would have been better to increase it gradually over the years."

Coun Hughes said the increase had nothing to do with the council decision to spend £55,000 on the new sports field in Wilcot Road. This was being paid with a £4,000 a year sum already set aside by the council for the village centre regeneration scheme.

"Because of this council's committments we have to ask for more money to provide necessary services" she said.

Coun John Cooke said the 13 per cent was too high and stressed the council would have to ensure that in future years, increase levels were acceptable to the public.

Concern was also expressed by Coun Jerry Kunkler.

He said: "We have a lot of people in this village living on the poverty line and we have to be careful how we do this."

Coun Lampard said: "Many of the costs are beyond our control and we can no longer afford to absorb them."