"Please think about the people of this town who can't afford it" - was the heartfelt plea of one Falmouth resident to town councillors over the setting of next year's precept.

Terry Brown, 72, who was born in Langton Road and lives in Lambs Lane, made the impassioned appeal when he spoke to councillors at Monday night's parish meeting of the town council when residents are invited to put questions to councillors.

Mr Brown was concerned that rates would continue to rise to pay for such things as the Princess Pavilion which he claimed would continue lose money.

In the 20/21 precept Falmouth Town Council increased it's part of the council tax by 21 per cent to pay for the takeover of Princess Pavilion as well as other major projects. This year is has gone up by 1.83 per cent.

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"My rates have gone up over the last two years by just under 23% for the town council part and next year I would imagine you are looking for a substantial increase. I reckon our rate rise over the the three years will be something in the region of 30 per cent.

"I've lived here all my life, I was born in Langton Road. I'm 72 my first job was at Falmouth Docks when I used to be able to pay for everything. I used to go to Princess Pavilion and over the last 50 years that place has never really made a profit.

"More and more people in this town can't afford it. So many in this town are going to food banks. Where I live there are people who can't even turn the heating on because they've got to eat. Every year it goes up it hasn't stopped going up for 50 years."

He said the big increase in houses built in the town meant that more money was going into the town council's coffers from council tax receipts

"After a 23 per cent increase I am asking that this stops and you have a think about it," he said.

Replying to Mr Edwards, Falmouth mayor Steve Eva said when they put the precept up last year it wasn't to purchase the Princess Pavilion, it was to run it and get it up into a good enough state to use it and they put the precept up as it was the only way they could do it and it worked.

"The Princess Pavilion was left in worst state than we ever thought it would be," he said "and that's why we had to carry on to pay for it. But it's not just the Princes Pavilion it is the lodge in the park, the building next door that's been neglected which needs to be repaired, There's so much pressure on the town council to take over things such as the toilets. How can you have a tourist town with no toilets?"

He said he understood Mr Brown's frustration but the council had no choice but to take on some of those services

"Personally I think it's a great success," he said. "We took it on with a bit of hope and we have done really well. No one here wants to put the rates up by 5% or whatever next year but unfortunately we have things we have to pay for.

"I don't regret for one second taking over Princess Pavilion. Cornwall Council wanted to turn it into flats and we said you can't do it, it belongs to Falmouth and they said you'll have to take over. But not one second do I regret taking that over. The majority of people in Falmouth think we have done the right thing."