Costs & fundingBude-Stratton Town Council
The council’s budget page, published on 8 January 2026, sets a 2026/27 precept of £1,490,743 and a Band D of £333.88, up £20.87 from £313.01, or 6.7% by our arithmetic. The year before, the precept was £1,376,920 and Band D £313.01, up £13.82 from £299.19, or 4.62%. At £333.88 the precept implies about 4,465 Band D properties by our arithmetic. Priorities include parks, play areas, toilets, the library, the Castle Heritage Centre and a skatepark. Cornwall Council’s final approval isn’t confirmed in the source.
Why might a council raise its charge by more than inflation, and how would you show the effect on a household in a year? Practise this in AO2 Application.
Interpreting accountsFriends of Bude Sea Pool
The Charity Commission’s record for the charity that runs the Bude Sea Pool shows income and spending for years to 31 October: £328.04k and £206.44k in 2022, £245.07k and £250.70k in 2023, and £253.95k and £229.97k in 2024. Its annual meeting in March 2025 heard that maintenance had cost £200,000 over seven years. The earlier years show a change of year end, which makes comparisons harder. The charity is not profit-seeking, and the sources give no visitor numbers or reserves.
Income fell from 2022 to 2023 and spending rose. What might explain it, and what would you check to judge whether the charity is secure? Step by step in AO3 Analysis.
Strategy & stakeholdersThe former Kerenza Hotel
The Post reported on 2 May 2025 that the recently closed and refurbished Kerenza Hotel in Bude, with 23 bedrooms, a maisonette, a bar and a 40-cover restaurant, was being marketed freehold by receivers at offers over £950,000, or about £41,300 a bedroom by our arithmetic. The Business Desk said it could suit residential redevelopment but gave no planning status. We haven’t verified the sale outcome, and the sources give no trading figures.
Should a closed seaside hotel be sold for another hotel or redeveloped for housing, and who gains or loses? A real judgement for AO4 Evaluation.
Bude’s economy in the classroom
The ONS built-up area for Bude was 7,350 at the 2021 census, according to Wikipedia, while citypopulation.de estimates 10,589 for the wider Bude-Stratton parish. A town council, a sea pool charity and a hotel sale give students real contexts for costs, accounts and strategy. We tie these themes to topics on the specification.
Sources: Wikipedia, Bude; citypopulation.de; Bude-Stratton Town Council, budget pages of 16 December 2024 and 8 January 2026; Charity Commission, Friends of Bude Sea Pool; Bude Sea Pool annual meeting minutes, 23 March 2025; The Post, 2 May 2025; The Business Desk, 5 May 2025; provider pages. The 6.7%, 4,465 and £41,300 figures are our arithmetic, and the hotel sale outcome is not verified.
