Bracknell Town Council Sets Budget and goes Greener
12th February 2020 Posted in Council News
Bracknell Town Council has agreed its budget for 2020/21, and has set its Band D precept at £88.66.
Speaking at the meeting, Cllr Chris Turrell, Leader of the Council, said: “We have had a year in which the biggest project ever undertaken by this council – Great Hollands Pavilion – came to fruition. This continues to do well and attract favourable comments. This year, we will be creating extra car parking for the pavilion.
“We have also seen continuing good use of our other parks and play areas, and in the coming year, we will take over three play areas from Bracknell Forest Council – Beedon Drive, Barry Square and Deepfield Road. We will run these to our same high standards. We will also refurbish the bowling and crazy golf facilities at Jocks Lane.
“On the expenditure side, we face a range of challenges: The national local government pay negotiations, not yet settled; rising pension contributions; and new charges for rubbish disposal. We will continue to put money by for replacement of high-cost items such as replacement artificial pitch carpet. The cost of holding elections has increased significantly, and we will put money by for the next elections.
“We will continue to invest in new equipment for our play areas, and tools with which to maintain them. Climate change is of increasing concern, and it is important to continue to make changes to address it. We will replace two diesel vehicles with three electric ones. These will be leased, so that we are able to change them easily, to respond to rapid developments in the capability of electric vehicles. There is a reduction in cost in doing this. We will also be spending £10,000 per year on environment projects.
“We will continue to look for ways of increasing our non-precept income. We will continue to make grants to a range of local organisations, and I am grateful to Cllr Malcolm Tullett for leading the work on overhauling our grant application processes. We will maintain our support for South Hill Park with a grant of £135,000, and we will work with them over the coming years to ensure they are in a strong position as to basic running requirements.
“The majority of the Council’s income comes from the precept. It is important to ensure we are in a good position to provide the high quality services Bracknell Town residents expect, so we propose to increase this by £5 per annum at Band D, taking this figure to £88.66 for the year.”