MORE cash for services but no tax increase is the basis for Daventry Town Council's proposed budget for the next financial year.
The council’s finance and policy committee agreed the draft budget for 2009/2010 of £275,000 at a cost to the average band D home of £34.72.
The amount charged to taxpayers by the town council remains the same as the current year’s budget, but by
not putting any towards its reserves and having made savings throughout the year, there will be the same or more money for services like allotments, hanging baskets, museum, civic events and Christmas lights.
Lynne Taylor, leader of the council, said after the December 22 meeting: “It’s the same precept as last year, but this year the budget matches the precept, meaning it will all be spent. We’re not cutting services, in fact I think we’re hoping to do better than this year.
“This year we saved a lot of money on the hanging baskets, but we’re keeping the budget going, and obviously money will be spent on the land at Drayton to bring that back up to standard for allotment use, although that total is still an unknown quantity.
“Because of the fall in interest rates we are expecting a lot less income from the interest on our reserves, but as they are reserves that doesn’t affect our spending.”
The committee was also told that the town council had exceeded its budget for the current financial year, with expected spending to reach £252,000 by the end of March, compared to a planned budget of £240,000. This means less money will be put towards the council’s reserves at the end of the financial year.
At the same meeting the committee backed proposals to meet with representatives from Daventry District Council to discuss the town council offering more services.
Currently the district council charges Daventry residents a special fee for town services that would normally be managed by parish councils, such as its public toilets, the closed churchyard at Holy Cross and the cemetery, along with open space, recreation areas and gardens. In the current financial year the district council charged Daventry residents a total of £414,352 for this service – equivalent to £52.32 for a band D home.
The final decision on the budget will be made at a meeting of the full town council on Monday, January 12.
