Explanation about the increase in your precept
.Dear Parishioners
There has been little increase in the precept for many years as the council has tried to keep the precept low. Having reviewed the current position council decided there was a need to build reserves. So after much discussion council decided to increase the precept for several reasons.
1) Council needs to build up its reserves, as what they presently hold in the bank is not sufficient to enable investment in the parish. With costs rising year on year, the increases could only be absorbed for so long if the precept itself was not increased.
Local councils need to hold an amount in reserves to meet unexpected expenditure, otherwise they could run out of money before the end of the financial year. A council should typically hold between 3 and12 months expenditure as a general reserve. This is because councils cannot borrow money for day-to-day spending so must hold reserves to cover "unexpected" incidents for example, the pandemic.
2)The income from the leisure centre is not sufficient to cover running costs and maintenance without support from the precept. The pandemic has had a huge impact on the community leisure centre as it has been closed for a lot of the pandemic and council have had to support this facility. Staff could not be furloughed and worked throughout lock downs. We were given a one-off grant last year which is ring fenced for the centre. Council is aware the centre is already down on income for this year whilst we remain closed.
3) There are various projects council wish to pursue for the parish including:-
Mobile Vehicle Activated Signs (MVAS) & associated costs; additional poles for locating the temporary one in agreed locations. Parishioners have long argued for more schemes to manage speed of traffic and reduce risk of accidents throughout the parish.
Play equipment for younger children was a request from parishioners.
Improved fencing and gates as highlighted by RoSPA for Oakthorpe play area
Benches were also requested.
4) Notice boards and benches need maintaining and replacing periodically.
5) Playgrounds and playing fields are expensive to maintain.
What The Council is doing to reduce costs and will continue to do so in order to identify other efficiencies.
1) Reducing liabilities and costs wherever possible.
2) Reviewing the centre and making efficiencies where possible and this is ongoing. Council is also asking parishioners for their views on the centre via a questionnaire to come out in the next week.
3) Appling for grants wherever possible and where council meets the criteria. The council often does not meet the criteria for funding as the centre is not a charity nor is it a business on its own registered with company house.
4) Reducing the pension liability. Whilst council agrees the staff are the council's greatest assets, and wish to offer the most beneficial scheme, it also needs to be affordable. Council made a decision to stop contributing into a scheme that demanded a high percentage of contributions as it is something council is not able to afford at this time. Leaving the present scheme did highlight a short fall that needs to be paid.
5) All grounds contracts will be reviewed when the tendering process commences later this year.
6) Streamlined staffing to ensure only core roles are kept.
‘Special expenses’ (mentioned on your council tax bill) is a cost from district council, these are charges to parts rather than the whole authority and are normally associated with covering the costs of maintaining parks and other open spaces not covered by parish councils.
If you have any further questions, please contact me at [email protected]
Your questions will be forwarded on to council.
There has been little increase in the precept for many years as the council has tried to keep the precept low. Having reviewed the current position council decided there was a need to build reserves. So after much discussion council decided to increase the precept for several reasons.
1) Council needs to build up its reserves, as what they presently hold in the bank is not sufficient to enable investment in the parish. With costs rising year on year, the increases could only be absorbed for so long if the precept itself was not increased.
Local councils need to hold an amount in reserves to meet unexpected expenditure, otherwise they could run out of money before the end of the financial year. A council should typically hold between 3 and12 months expenditure as a general reserve. This is because councils cannot borrow money for day-to-day spending so must hold reserves to cover "unexpected" incidents for example, the pandemic.
2)The income from the leisure centre is not sufficient to cover running costs and maintenance without support from the precept. The pandemic has had a huge impact on the community leisure centre as it has been closed for a lot of the pandemic and council have had to support this facility. Staff could not be furloughed and worked throughout lock downs. We were given a one-off grant last year which is ring fenced for the centre. Council is aware the centre is already down on income for this year whilst we remain closed.
3) There are various projects council wish to pursue for the parish including:-
Mobile Vehicle Activated Signs (MVAS) & associated costs; additional poles for locating the temporary one in agreed locations. Parishioners have long argued for more schemes to manage speed of traffic and reduce risk of accidents throughout the parish.
Play equipment for younger children was a request from parishioners.
Improved fencing and gates as highlighted by RoSPA for Oakthorpe play area
Benches were also requested.
4) Notice boards and benches need maintaining and replacing periodically.
5) Playgrounds and playing fields are expensive to maintain.
What The Council is doing to reduce costs and will continue to do so in order to identify other efficiencies.
1) Reducing liabilities and costs wherever possible.
2) Reviewing the centre and making efficiencies where possible and this is ongoing. Council is also asking parishioners for their views on the centre via a questionnaire to come out in the next week.
3) Appling for grants wherever possible and where council meets the criteria. The council often does not meet the criteria for funding as the centre is not a charity nor is it a business on its own registered with company house.
4) Reducing the pension liability. Whilst council agrees the staff are the council's greatest assets, and wish to offer the most beneficial scheme, it also needs to be affordable. Council made a decision to stop contributing into a scheme that demanded a high percentage of contributions as it is something council is not able to afford at this time. Leaving the present scheme did highlight a short fall that needs to be paid.
5) All grounds contracts will be reviewed when the tendering process commences later this year.
6) Streamlined staffing to ensure only core roles are kept.
‘Special expenses’ (mentioned on your council tax bill) is a cost from district council, these are charges to parts rather than the whole authority and are normally associated with covering the costs of maintaining parks and other open spaces not covered by parish councils.
If you have any further questions, please contact me at [email protected]
Your questions will be forwarded on to council.
