VILLAGERS in Porlock have offered to dip into their moneyboxes to save a raft of core community facilities threatened by public spending cuts.

A crisis meeting called by parish councillors to discuss the impact of a looming financial timebomb on facilities ranging from the visitor centre to the recreation ground was attended by more than 200 people on Wednesday.

And the virtually unanimous view of those at the meeting was that they would be prepared to pay higher Council Tax bills to ensure the future of local facilities regarded as vital to Porlock's future.

Villagers were faced with a stark choice - watch the council withdraw all or some of the financial support it currently hands out, or shoulder a significant increase in the parish precept next year - the local share of Council Tax bills.

And although councillors were not handed a blank cheque, the majority - if not all - of those at the meeting agreed they would be prepared to accept an increase of around £20 a year on a Band D property - the levy for the current financial year is £60.

Council chairman Cllr Alan Wright said it was impossible to know the full impact of funding cuts and the abandonment of services currently provided by Somerset County Council and West Somerset Council.

But he said the parish council could be facing a financial hole of around £10,000 next year

The county council's controversial decision to close Porlock's library at the end of September will mean a loss of £7,500 in rent and rates for the parish council, which owns the building in which it is located.

Cllr Wright said a decision on whether the library could be taken over and run by the community, but not linked to the county service - at a cost of between £2,000 and £3,000 a year - would have to be taken by the end of June.

Villagers were told that county and district council cuts in recent years had already meant the loss of around £11,000 of grants - largely to the visitor centre.

Cllr Wright said the parish council had set a precept of £43,000 this year, allowing it offer financial support to a number of key community facilities.

This included a £3,000 grant to the recreation ground - around 30 per cent of the facility's total running costs - £1,000 to the village hall, £500 to the Lovelace Centre, £4,000 to the visitor centre and £1,500 to the Doverhay Manor Museum.

Other organisations, such as the youth club, received lesser amounts.

But Cllr Wright said in addition to the impact of the library closure, the district council looked set to abolish discretionary rural rate relief relief next year, which would add £360 to the costs of running the village hall and a similar amount to the museum.

Other organisations in the village would also be hit.

The district authority was also planning to wash its hands of facilities and services such as public toilets and street cleaning, transferring them to the parish council.

Cllr Wright said until now Porlock's community had managed to absorb any funding cuts.

"And we are not saying that all these organisations will close if the parish council withdraws its funding," he said.

"They are already fundraising and I am sure that they will all do what they can to fill the gap - but they have already been doing that for some time and they will be put in a very difficult position."

Cllr Wright said parish councillors felt that the choice between cutting grant aid or raising the precept was too important a decision for a small group of people to make on behalf of the community.

He said they needed a broad understanding of how local people felt.

"We need to know if people value these facilities and are prepared to put their hands in their pockets or whether people think they are not that important and should be allowed to sink or swim."

Cllr Wright said, although the council had reserves - legally they have to be at half the level of precept - it could not raid these year on year to prop up a cost structure it could not afford.

The results of a questionnaire, asking villagers to say which facilities they want the parish council to support, will be used to help councillors draw up next year's budget.

After the meeting Cllr Wright described the turnout at the meeting and the response to the crisis from villagers as "a phenomenal testimony to Porlock."

"This isn't a blank cheque for the parish council to spend as much as it wants but we know how people feel and how much they value these facilities."