THE article about parish precepts (February 20) named Bluntisham as the most expensive parish in Huntingdonshire to pay Council Tax and focused on the village hall as the major contributor to the level of precept charged. While this is accurate, the artic

THE article about parish precepts (February 20) named Bluntisham as the most expensive parish in Huntingdonshire to pay Council Tax and focused on the village hall as the major contributor to the level of precept charged.

While this is accurate, the article failed to highlight that the decision to build the new village hall was taken only after full consultation with villagers, which included design and cost implications. As a result of this process, a clear majority of parishioners were in favour of the project going ahead.

The hall, which includes extensive sports facilities, is a community asset that has now been open for three years. It is well used and is totally self supporting, receiving no parish funding.

The article inferred that the hall was in fact all that was provided by the precept. This is far from being the case. For example, the village has 15 acres of recreation fields that are used by local football and cricket teams, and the old village hall has been converted to a youth club, which recently opened as "The Blunty Factor".

The parish council is proactive and works hard to ensure that all village amenities are maintained to a high standard, working closely with both district and county councils to improve facilities and achieve best value for money. Indeed, the parish precept for 2008/09 is four per cent lower than that for 2007/08, which contrasts with the five per cent increase in Council Tax for Cambridgeshire as a whole.

Mrs J GUTTERIDGE

Chairman

Bluntisham Parish Council