Monmouthshire Council’s Cabinet has recommended a budget designed to provide more money for frontline services while meeting the financial challenges created by the economic downturn and squeeze on public finances.
The proposals were considered at a meeting of Cabinet yesterday, (17th February). Cabinet recommended that the council set a budget of £149.8 million for 2010 / 2011.
For residents, this will mean a 3.9% increase in council tax – about 70 pence a week for a Band D property.
Leader of the council, Councillor Peter Fox, said:
“We have the difficult task of deciding how we will deliver all our services with the money we have been given.
“The budget makes the most of a small pot of money and focuses on protecting schools and ensuring social services meet the needs of everyone who needs them in Monmouthshire.
“Rural Monmouthshire has an increasing elderly population and falling school numbers which puts an added strain on the budget. This is on top of the services we already provide such as running schools, maintaining roads and supporting vulnerable people. “
The proposals include:
- making school transport contracts more efficient, doing more transportation in-house and also increasing the income from hiring out the vehicles.
- no increase in the budget for Members’ allowances.
- a staff restructure in libraries that will not affect the opening hours or front line staff, but will mean some posts will be regarded and managers may have to take on extra duties.
Changes to the original proposals have been made after the council received feedback from their consultations.
The budget will no longer include plans to
- change how public toilets are provided in the county;
- take £85k from the highways budget.
The proposals look at:
- reintroducing a residents’ magazine that will be delivered to householders in the county;
- changing the year’s rate of council tax from the original proposal of 3% to 3.9% (although it will be reduction compared to last year’s rate of 4.95%)
Cabinet Member for Finance, Councillor Phil Murphy, said:
“This year we extended the time frame for consultation on the budget proposals. Members were given plenty of time to look at the proposals, with a far more detailed an approach than had occurred previously and has been generally well received.
“We’ve based these proposals on feedback we had through consultation which took place at Monmouth, Abergavenny, Mor Hafren and the Schools Budget Forum.
“They told us they wanted to see a paper edition of residents’ magazine, ‘Community Spirit’. This has been taken on board and a joint publication will come out in the Spring in conjunction with the Local Service Board.
“Our plans for changing toilets that are underused or not accessible for those with disabilities have been postponed. Town councils indicated a willingness to take these on but community councils have said that they would be unable to take responsibility for toilets yet so we will proceed with the ground work for this proposal but have removed it from this year’s budget.
“The recent cold snap has affected the highways structure of the county and therefore the proposal to take £85,000 savings out of the investment planned has been withdrawn.
“The final settlement, when it came was a blow. Monmouthshire as usual got a poor deal but at least we were fourth from bottom but still, alas, 22nd as regards per capita funding. The effect of the final settlement was to take £288,000 out of our calculations. This meant that we still had over a million to find subsequent to the consultation document.
“After adjusting the final council tax base and re-appraising the funds required for the single status issue in the coming year, Cabinet has concluded especially in view of the pasting the authority has had over the cold spell, that it has no option than to increase the rate of council tax from the working assumption of 3% to 3.9%. This is in line with other authorities and the police authority.”
The revenue and capital budget 2010/11 final proposals can be viewed at: http://www.monmouthshire.gov.uk/downloads/Revenue_and_Capital_Budget_2010-11_-_Final_Proposals.pdf
