Again last year (ended 31st March 2011), Biggleswade Town Council had a surplus on its budget. This time it was £65,030, which equates to about 11% of the precept for the year, which is collected in our Council Tax through Central Bedfordshire District Council.
Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against surpluses and cost savings as such, but when you look back over the previous 5 years they have pretty much always been in surplus. It varies from 2% through 19% and up to 30%. The 30% equated to over £164,000.
How can you get a budget and certain elements within it, so wrong, year on year on year? Why are there monies in the budget that are never spent either in full or part?
Given the surpluses year on year on year, why does the Town Council element of our Council Tax keep going up, apart from this year, when they were not allowed to put it up?
The total Town Council budget in 2006 was a little over £500,000 and last year was just over £600,000, that’s a 20% increase in 5 years.
The Council reserves now stand at well over £2 million, which is enough to fund them for well over 3 years, which is much more than the statutory requirement. Why do they need all this money? What are they going to do with it ?
More planning applications perhaps and more appeals on the one they had rejected ..... where is the cost of all that on the budget sheets?
ReplyDeleteEnough surplus to pay a Town Centre Manager - that would make a big different to Biggleswade. Look at what Baldock have managed to achieve with theirs and Biggleswade has a lot more going for it.
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