Ottery Town Council will have £39,362 less to spend this year due to West Hill’s forthcoming breakaway - and the average household will have to give the authority an extra £2.28.

The move has been hailed as ‘a good outcome’ for taxpayers, with the mayor saying services will not be cut.

The town council’s ‘precept’ for the 2017/18 financial year - its share of residents’ overall council tax bills - has been set at £126,289. This is compared to £165,651 for 2016/17.

A major reason for the difference, which equates to a 24 per cent reduction, is that West Hill will no longer be part of the Ottery parish from April.

Despite the ‘precept’ being smaller, residents in the redefined Ottery parish will have to pay the town council five per cent more. A Band D property will pay £47.96, compared to £45.68.

Residents’ total council tax bills are made up of payments to town, district and county councils and the police and fire service.

It was decided last year that West Hill would become an independent parish in its own right.

Following Ottery Town Council’s January meeting, chairman of the finance committee Councillor Paul Bartlett said: “We do not want to cut anything that we normally do.

“We looked at the expenditure to see if there are items there that we do need or are not needed anymore.

“Items such as the West Hill play park, that’s going to be coming out of West Hill’s budget.

“We have taken things out of the budget to help ease the increase in precept.”

Mayor Glyn Dobson said: “I am really pleased with what we have come up with.”