PLANS for the town council to take over the running of the St Margaret's Hall in Bradford on Avon and think about building a new footbridge across the river Avon could see higher council tax demands sent out next April.

The town council has started the budget-setting process for the next financial year and is considering whether or not it will ask for more money from townspeople.

Councillors decided on Tuesday to keep the element of the council tax raised on its behalf more or less the same as last year if possible but projects like the takeover of St Margaret's Hall and the proposed new footbridge across the River Avon could mean Bradfordians will have to pay more.

Cllr Malcolm Hewson said Bradford has many competing desires and the town council wants to ensure townspeople's views are considered.

He said: "The town is currently divided on whether tax should rise to pay for a new footbridge, although people support the idea in principle, and yet we are being asked to help the Preservation Trust's Barton Farm Project.

"There will be some painful choices made before the rate is finally set and we must adhere to the principle that money is drawn from the townspeople for projects that the townspeople support.

"I am therefore calling for a wide debate amongst the people of the town to influence the budget that is set and the council tax that we will all pay."

Mayor Vicky Landell Mills said figures so far this year indicate the council may have underspent.

She said: "We can be reassured that we budgeted reasonably well in the past year.

"We haven't bust the budget, unlike the health authority, Wiltshire County Council and West Wiltshire District Council."

Cllr Landell Mills said there were strong projects it was important for the council to support next year and local authorities had a part to play in improving the local community.

Cllr Minna Gillham said: "I know it is tempting to put the precept up but there are certain people in town that are not immediately gratified by some projects."

Cllr Priscilla Roberts said: "We have been very careful over the last couple of years and have now got two projects the town wants us to proceed with. We should set aside more money for those.""

The council's general purpose committee, made up of the chairmen of the council's committees, will go over the proposed budget in fine detail before a budget setting meeting in January.