THE special parish meeting called to discuss the controversial council tax increase set by Salisbury City Council will be held tonight. 

A parish meeting is not a meeting of the council, but a meeting of the whole community. 

Any person on the electoral register of Salisbury is entitled to speak at the meeting, and with the exception of the chairman, councillors rank the same as other members of the electorate. 

The meeting will be held at Salisbury Guildhall at 6pm. 

The motion is:

Do Salisbury residents support: 

a. A limit on any proposed increase to the parish precept by five per cent per year

b. If an administration wants to increase the precept by more than  five per cent  then a parish poll should be required?

At the meeting, all issues are decided by a majority of those present and voting. 

A poll may be demanded - in this case on the controversial council tax increase announced by the city council. 

The cost of holding the poll falls on the city council, and therefore on tax payers, and the outcome of the poll is no more a\nd no less than an expression of the views of the electorate who have voted. It is not legally binding. 

For more information on parish meetings, click here.