January 26th 2012 EOM
PRESS REPORT CHEVELEY PARISH COUNCIL THURSDAY 26TH JANUARY 2012
An extraordinary meeting of Cheveley Parish Council was held on Thursday 26th January 2012 to agree the parish budget and precept (parish tax) for 2012-13. The proposed precept amounted to £9.98 per elector per year increase ostensibly to provide more support and infrastructure within the community with a total precept request of £60 000. This was in response to those requests, concerns and complaints received at the Annual Parish Meeting in 2011 and more recently as re-confirmed in a parish-wide survey.
Some councillors felt that in the current economic climate such an increase when compared to previous years was too high and the amount requested should be capped at a significantly lower level.
The proposed increases were considered by other council members to be a reflection of the true costs necessary to fulfil the Council's obligations in providing services and facilities for parishioners. The proposed budget aimed to fund a part time caretaking and maintenance contract within the parish (including the pavilion, recreation ground and cemetery), together with the instigation of a proactive maintenance programme to avoid large future repair costs for those current assets and liabilities owned by Cheveley parish council.
It should be noted that the proposed budget had taken the opportunity to cap those costs which were felt unsustainable and unsupportable. This included capping capital and revenue expenditure at the pavilion and recreation ground at the 2010-11 level.
After much discussion a line by line analysis of the proposed budget was undertaken by Council with a view to reduce projected expenditure. In light of the request for a recorded vote the analysis and decisions taken by individual councillors may be viewed on the parish council website (www.cheveley-pc.org.uk). No attempt was made by Council to balance the income and expenditure line of the revised agreed budget with all savings being passed directly to residents. As a consequence the Council agreed a precept figure total of £51,650 equating to an increase of £5.20 per elector per year and an overall increase from last years precept of 17%.
It should be noted by residents that those cost reductions were primarily achieved at the expense of projected community services, maintenance, goods and supporting voluntary groups within the parish.
The next meeting, of the Parish Council will be held on Monday 13th February 2012 in the Community Room at Cheveley School at 7.30 pm.
Elsewhere in the parish the Cheveley Pavilion Working Group (CPWG) in conjunction with the Council has been successful in being one of twenty-five groups eligible for a share of £10,000 from the Cash for the Community scheme funded by the Cambridge Building Society. Residents are urged to collect the vouchers that will be appearing in the Cambridge News in February and send them in to help the group -the more you collect and send in for this group the bigger the share of the pot - so please get collecting! Cheveley Parish Council continues to thank all those volunteers who are working with this community led action group and others attempting to get the pavilion refurbished and sports (including cricket and football) back at the recreation ground in Cheveley.