Stamford Town Council has agreed its budget for the coming financial year and set a precept increase of £100,140. For a Band D household, this will result in a change of £12.02 per year, which is equivalent to around 23p per week. The budget reflects a balanced approach to maintaining local services while keeping the impact on residents as low as possible.

The precept is Stamford Town Council’s share of the council tax which funds the services it delivers for Stamford. It is the main source of income that allows the Town Council to carry out essential responsibilities, upkeep assets, protect the town’s collections, and deliver civic events, free public events – including the popular Christmas Market and Christmas Lights Switch-On – and other projects that benefit residents.

The increase was necessary to ensure the Town Council can continue delivering for the town in the coming financial year. The budget was reached after careful analysis of expected costs such as maintaining green spaces, grants for community projects, increased staffing costs and heritage conservation, to everyday basics including toilet rolls for public conveniences and dog waste bags.

Each year the Town Council works hard to ensure value for money for residents and to be open and transparent about how its money is spent, while striving to keep the cost of the precept as low as possible. There is a dedicated team of volunteers who provide vital assistance with heritage and Town Hall activities, and support is provided to community groups who carry out projects in the town, such as Stamford in Bloom and Pride of Stamford Litter Pickers. The Town Council has also secured substantial grants to cover initiatives such as tree planting on the Meadows, the refurbishment of the Shack building on the Recreation Ground and a Community Energy feasibility study across Stamford.

2025 has also seen Stamford Town Council fund a team delivering youth work through Art Pop-Up at the Shack. And as part the Town Council’s intention to restore a museum to Stamford, there have been a series of cultural workshops for schools and the Town Hall’s first museum-standard exhibition of the Phillips collection, a successful venture that saw more people than ever visit to marvel at the Georgian and Victorian posters on display.

What we do  

Stamford Town Council manages the cemetery, 278 allotment plots, the Recreation Ground, sections of the Town Meadows, and the Town Hall on St Mary’s Hill. The precept now also covers the substantial running costs of a number of assets that were handed over to the Town Council from SKDC, including the Red Lion Square toilets, Empingham Road playing fields, Uffington Road playing fields and the Bastion.
The Town Council also administers community grants, promotes access to its heritage collections, cuts grass verges throughout the town, maintains tennis courts and organises a programme of free civic and ceremonial events.

Reopening the Frank Newbon gym is also on the horizon as the Town Council is in the process of agreeing a transfer of the equipment and will then take on responsibility for insuring and servicing this equipment, alongside the play equipment on the Recreation Ground.

Additional income is also generated through services offered to the public, including room hire, allotment rents, bereavement services and civil ceremonies, which further allows investment in community assets, projects, activities and events.

Mayor of Stamford Councillor Amanda Wheelers says: “Stamford is lucky to have an incredible community spirit and so many individuals and groups who give their time and skills to make Stamford such a wonderful town. However, without the necessary funding in place to maintain and improve our buildings and playing fields, we will not be able to sustain or improve the services that our community enjoys. At a time when more and more land is being given over to development, protecting and enhancing our green spaces and ensuring our town is resilient and thriving is essential.”