Town councillors are facing a bill of nearly £46,000, just to cover the costs of last year's local elections.

In May 2023 the Greens took control of Kenilworth Town Council (KTC) by taking 10 of the 17 seats.

Meanwhile the Conservatives lost all three of their seats as the Liberal Democrats took the remaining seven.

Nearly a year later though, KTC has been asked to front the admin costs of the election by its counterparts at Warwick District Council, which organised the polling stations and vote count.

"I raised strong objections to the level of increase - of around 40 per cent - faced by Kenilworth Town Council," Cllr Adrian Marsh told KTC. 

"The response I have had [from Warwick District Council] is quite comprehensive. 

"It indicates that the district council has faced significant cost increases. 

"They accept they failed to advise town and parish councils far enough in advance of escalating costs."

The inflated bill - which comes in at £45,793.52 - has been blamed on the need for more staff at polling stations due to the voter ID rule changes, and the increased cost of postal voting.

Cllr Richard Dickson added: "I wonder whether Kenilworth residents grasp the fact that 20 per cent of Kenilworth's expenditure this year will be spent on paying the costs of elections last year. 

"That has partly been brought about by the changes in legislation around voter ID, changing of procedures in polling stations, but also rising costs of postage. 

"While we want to encourage more people to vote, and to vote by post, there is a quid pro quo that comes with that.

"In short, democracy is expensive."