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BOROUGH CUTS AID TO PARISHES
Added: 18th December 2009
Fears over council tax rises...
Policy changes at borough level will impact on all parishes. Chairman of Greasley's Finance & General Purposes Committee, Cllr John Handley, explains the background and implications of these changes.
"In these troubled financial times we are all concerned about obtaining best value for our money and spreading our sometimes limited resources wisely.
"If one was to look at how the financial affairs of Greasley Parish Council have been managed over the last 30 years, I think most people would recognise that they have been run fairly and given good value for money.
"I would like to record that this, in part, was due to the fact that for most of that time the late Cllr Pat Payne and Cllr David Taylor were responsible for overseeing the council's finances and making the appropriate recommendations.
No parish rise
"On a number of occasions the Parish Precept which is the Greasley portion of the council tax was not raised by a single penny as, due to good management, the council was able to maintain the level of services within existing budgets.
"Unfortunately over the past two years the precept had to be raised. Two years ago it was raised by £5.20 a year which represented a rise of just 10p per week. Last year it was initially planned to propose a similar rise but on re-assessment this was reduced to £3.20 for the year, 7p per week.
"Parish money is spent on a variety of services to benefit the local community. Recreation grounds, a children's play area and the support of local groups and activities. Plus we run the multi-purpose sports centre and fitness suite as well as the parish hall which is the home of numerous local groups and clubs.
Grant withheld
"In the coming financial year we will be facing a major financial problem. For many years the government has given money to local district authorities - in our case, Broxtowe - to help support the work of parish and town councils. These monies were earmarked for the specific purpose of assisting parishes and as such had to be passed on.
"It now appears that these funds are no longer earmarked for purpose and as a consequence Broxtowe has proposed that from April next year it will keep these monies and not pay them over to the parishes.
"Greasley received £26,000, about 18 per cent of our income. For us to simply compensate for that loss would mean raising the precept by at least £7 for each household.
Considering options
"We are obviously reluctant to do this and are presently investigating all possible options available to us. In the meantime we are hoping that Broxtowe may re-think this issue as some areas of the borough, notably in the south, will gain a great deal while others, like ourselves, will lose heavily. Clearly it is not a fair situation.
"Greasley Parish Council wants to continue delivering the same high standard of services and offer the same value for money. Watch this space!"
Did you know that the Greasley Sports & Community Centre comprises...