COUNCIL BUDGET AND PRECEPT 2017-18
The agreed Town Council budget and precept for 2017-18 is included below. The Council precept for 2017-18 is £90.54 per year for a Band D taxpayer, an increase of £0.02 per year. The charge for a Band A taxpayer is £60.36 per year.
The principal facilities and activities that the Council provide through this budget are:
· 4 Community Buildings (Assembly Rooms, Winning Post, Moorends Community Centre and Coulman Pavilion)
· Thorne Cemetery
· 4 Sports Grounds (Welfare Ground, Wyke Gate, Coulman Road, Toll Bar)
· Thorne Memorial Park
· Thorne Community Wood
· Delves Fishing Ponds
· Glebe Road Allotments
· Canal Swing Bridge
· Thorne Market
· Events including Fireworks
· Christmas Lights
The Council has faced a number of pressures on its budgets. These include:
1. Wages – as part of a national agreement there will be an above average increase for lower paid members of staff.
2. Building Improvements and Repairs – the Council has been working to improve the quality of its buildings, and has increased its range of cyclical safety checks in recent years. Further works are needed on buildings to ensure their safety and to improve the standard of the facilities.
3. Outdoor facilities – the Town Council provide the only significant areas of recreational land within Thorne and Moorends. These together with the Cemetery represent a significant maintenance cost which has included safety work to trees. To improve standards the Council has recently appointed a new apprentice, particularly for work in the Cemetery.
The Council has been exploring ways in which it can control its costs, particularly considering land and buildings in its control for example. The Council is also looking at other ways of making savings for example by negotiating reduced rates for energy use, and entering into a longer term insurance agreement with discounted rates.
Councillors receive no payment for the time that is put in, and do not claim any expenses.
The principal facilities and activities that the Council provide through this budget are:
· 4 Community Buildings (Assembly Rooms, Winning Post, Moorends Community Centre and Coulman Pavilion)
· Thorne Cemetery
· 4 Sports Grounds (Welfare Ground, Wyke Gate, Coulman Road, Toll Bar)
· Thorne Memorial Park
· Thorne Community Wood
· Delves Fishing Ponds
· Glebe Road Allotments
· Canal Swing Bridge
· Thorne Market
· Events including Fireworks
· Christmas Lights
The Council has faced a number of pressures on its budgets. These include:
1. Wages – as part of a national agreement there will be an above average increase for lower paid members of staff.
2. Building Improvements and Repairs – the Council has been working to improve the quality of its buildings, and has increased its range of cyclical safety checks in recent years. Further works are needed on buildings to ensure their safety and to improve the standard of the facilities.
3. Outdoor facilities – the Town Council provide the only significant areas of recreational land within Thorne and Moorends. These together with the Cemetery represent a significant maintenance cost which has included safety work to trees. To improve standards the Council has recently appointed a new apprentice, particularly for work in the Cemetery.
The Council has been exploring ways in which it can control its costs, particularly considering land and buildings in its control for example. The Council is also looking at other ways of making savings for example by negotiating reduced rates for energy use, and entering into a longer term insurance agreement with discounted rates.
Councillors receive no payment for the time that is put in, and do not claim any expenses.
