MenuThese days it seems everyone is having to be much more careful about how much they spend and what they spend it on. For the last few years we have looked carefully at our running costs continually looking for areas where savings can be made, but still give value for money.
Everyone, including your Councillors, wants more things done in the town and better facilities but few want their Council tax to go up! However prices continue to rise so it costs us more to maintain what is already in place. Anti-social behaviour and vandalism have declined but there are still those who delight in making a mess with graffiti or destroying public property- so money which might be used elsewhere has to be spent rectifying that. Apart from the precept- the money from your Council taxes- the only other way to fund projects is from grants but there are fewer of these available and competition for them is so much greater. However despite rises in our core costs, we have this year very slightly reduced our precept request but this may be the last year we can do that.
National Government have said they do not want Council Tax to rise- threatening fines to those Regional Councils who go over inflation limits- but this is on top of reductions of national funding to these councils. County Councils like ours have been reducing their ‘backroom’ costs for a number of years but lately we have seen frontline services affected. Some cost cutting measures have been to hand over Town Seats, Litter Bins and Bus Shelters to Parish Councils; this year and next, some will see Village Greens and Cemeteries added to these. However, Government have made two changes which will substantially affect us over the next 2-3 years.
Firstly, Government has changed the way Council Tax Grant is assessed. This is always a very complex issue but the effect on Parishes this year is being lessened by a grant from NCC. Basically, as we understand it, Amble has a large number of properties who receive Council Tax benefit; the new assessment takes these out of the equation and so reduces the amount Government gives to regional bodies- hence this year the Amble amount drops by over £22,000! The new County Council elected in May will decide if the drop in grant will be covered in their future budgets- if so, then they will need to find that money by further reductions in their services to us; if not the amount could have to be divided out amongst our ratepayers.
Secondly, the decision that every employer must offer employees a pension scheme will affect us soon. We employ only a few people so did not need to implement this when it began this year, but by 2015 we must do so. Even with our small staff, this could mean up to £10,000 added each year- almost a 10% increase on what each household pays- a sum which we cannot avoid and are unlikely to be able to absorb.
Few welcome Council Tax rises, but it appears that inevitably it will- we would much rather ask for money to get better or more facilities in your town.