Conservatives at the Vale of White Horse District Council are freezing Council Tax yet again – the fourth year in a row! Despite keeping the payments made by households low we have also protected council services.
By making savings in administration and overheads – more than £2m in this year alone - we are able to plan and invest for the future, a future in which every area of the Vale will benefit. Our Market Towns of Faringdon, Wantage and Abingdon will benefit further investment of £61,000 to help boost the local economy. These towns are already benefiting from the 2hr free parking scheme, and we are also investing in those parking facilities – increasing capacity and improving security and lighting at other car parks across the district. Leisure facilities will benefit from this budget. We are taking the first steps in developing a new Leisure Centre for Grove and Wantage. We are also investing in existing facilities and will soon be embarking on a new leisure contract which is set to transform the use and finances of our facilities for years to come. Our support for community groups continues with grants available well in excess of £200,000. We are working closely with the Earth Trust to support their work at Thrupp Lake and to find a long term solution for the Abbey Fishponds Nature Reserve, a great example of how working in partnership can be more cost effective and utilise the expertise of others. Despite calls from members of the opposition, we have decided to freeze the cost of the brown bin scheme yet again. We are rightly proud of being one of the top recyclers in the country and we will continue to help our residents to make the most of the facilities we offer by keeping the costs low. Having inherited a situation where the Council did not have an up to date local plan, it remains our top priority is to adopt a plan and regain control of our planning process. Later this week we will be publishing the next round of consultation, and there will be much time to debate the contents in the coming weeks. Tonight budget will ensure that there is adequate resource for our planning department to carry out the work that is needed. That is why we are investing over £2.3m in plan making, development control and enforcement as part of this budget. We will continue to support the economy, and through Vale4Business, will be launching a business award that will offer practical help to the Vale’s many entrepreneurs. To support that aim we are also working for the roll out of superfast broadband. We have identified at least £500,000 that can be used to support broadband in those areas where BT will not provide it. We are currently examining options, including alternatives to BT, and will be discussing them with our partners in the private sector and parishes in due course. The Vale has a growing economy and we are determined to put in place the infrastructure to support it. In the medium term we forecast building a reserve of £12.3m. This is not being stashed away for a rainy day, but rather carefully invested for future projects. These will include the funding of flood relief projects; major infrastructure scheme, especially in areas that have had to deal with large increases in housing; civil parking enforcement as we seek to take on powers to deal with on street parking. Tonight we have passed a balanced budget, that protects services, continues to drive savings and efficiency within our own organisation, whilst freezing the costs to the public. The future of our funding from central government remains uncertain, our ambitions for the future are clear and substantial. We have put forward proposals for a sustainable budget, with low council tax and the investment that the Vale needs.