03 September 2010Sevenoaks District Council agreed an annual budget which includes an average Council Tax charge set at £168.39 a year, an increase of £8.01 or an additional 2p a day at the meeting of Full Council last Thursday (21 February 2008).
The Council faces significant financial pressures in the coming year resulting from the very low grant increase from Central Government and additional costs, most of which are beyond the authority's control. Yet the Council ensured that its Council Tax increase was kept to a minimum at 4.99%.
At its Budget Council meeting on Thursday, the Leader of the Council, Peter Fleming stated that: "Sevenoaks District Council continued to receive the lowest government grant per head in Kent at £55.80, with the Kent District average being £78.31 and almost the lowest nationally with the national district average being £77.94. If we received a grant at the average level we would be receiving £2.5m more, which would equate to a reduction in our part of the Council Tax bill of 30%."
"Unfortunately, the grant is not the national average and therefore I propose that the District Council Band D figure is £168.39, an increase of £8.01 (4.99%) or 15p per week. The bottom line including County Council services, police, fire and an average parish charge is £1,422.70."
From April 2008 to the end of March 2009, the Council is proposing to spend £17.1m on services, an increase of more than £270,000 on the current year. Despite investing more in services, the Council is being forced to make even greater savings across the organisation to balance its books. Next year alone the Council must save £0.9m with an additional £1.1m to be saved over the following four years.
As well as inflation, the Council has to meet new Central Government requirements such as the enhanced concessionary fares scheme, without the full funding. In part, this burden has had to be passed on to the local taxpayers.
In setting the budget the Council has focused resources wherever possible on local residents' priorities following widespread public consultation in the autumn. It continues to identify new, even more effective, ways of working in its efforts to ensure it delivers the highest levels of value for money to its residents. This approach has ensured that the impact on frontline services has been limited.
In its early budget proposals, the Council suggested reducing the grant to Citizen's Advice Bureaux in Edenbridge, Sevenoaks and Swanley, closing its public conveniences in Westerham and New Ash Green and withdrawing the Saturday refuse collection services. However, after consultation with a number of stakeholders, it was agreed that these savings would not be made in the next year and that the Council will work with a range of organisations and parties in identifying ways forward.
Cllr Brian Ramsay, the Council's Cabinet Member with responsibility for finance, says: "By the Government's own admission, Sevenoaks District Council is one of the most efficient and financially well managed local authorities in the country. It is therefore disappointing that the Government's funding is insufficient to meet the demands they are placing upon us. This has meant that the Local Taxpayer has had to bear some of this additional burden. Therefore, this year's budget has been difficult for all concerned. We have tried where possible to ensure it does not affect front line service, regrettably it will impact on some services and some of our staff."
The Council's budget of £17.1m for 2008/09 will be funded from the following areas:
THE COUNCIL TAX BILL
The Council Tax bill is made up of five components and each authority sets its own charge. Sevenoaks District Council collects its share of the charge and the other four public authority charges.
The table below summarises each authority's charge at band D (the average Council Tax charge).
Total £1,422.70
View the full Council Tax charge (
PDF File 7KB file details), including the combined Kent County Council, Sevenoaks District Council, Kent Police, Kent Fire & Rescue Service and town and parish council charges, and the town and parish council charges ( PDF File 6KB file details) at band D.
