Archived press release

Date Published: 16/01/06

Aylesbury Vale District Council’s cabinet has agreed to recommend a budget for next year (2006/7) that restricts the Band D tax rise for district council services to just 4.7 per cent. If approved the district council’s share of the c...

Aylesbury Vale District Council’s cabinet has agreed to recommend a budget for next year (2006/7) that restricts the Band D tax rise for district council services to just 4.7 per cent.

If approved the district council’s share of the council tax for a Band D tax payer will be £116.10 for the year – an increase of 10p a week. The proposed increase is significantly lower than last year’s tax rise of 7.1 per cent.

The district council’s share of the council tax bill for 2006/7 is only 10 per cent, with the rest made up of county council, police authority, fire authority and town and parish council requirements.

The budget means real investment in services, meeting the council’s key aims: achieving safe, active, healthy communities; providing accessible services; developing and promoting the local economy; and managing the built and natural environment in a sustainable way.

In preparing next year’s budgets the cabinet reviewed all the feedback it had received on its draft recommendations from each of the council’s scrutiny committees before agreeing a net expenditure for the coming year of £18.6 million. 

Included in the proposed budget is £405,000 in additional funding on concessionary fares for the over-60s and people with disabilities, £30,000 to fund an enforcement officer in Aylesbury town centre to tackle environmental crime and £12,000 to maintain CCTV cameras in the town centre.

The cabinet has also recommended that £50,000 be set aside to respond to any opportunities the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics may have for the district. A grants panel made up of local councillors will advise the council on how the money should be used.

A programme of efficiency savings and extra income has helped AVDC lower the rate of council tax increase. The savings achieved by the council total £1.34 million.

The council expects to receive a government grant of £11.1 million for 2006/7. This leaves £7.5 million to be met from council tax payers.

Councillor Margaret Morgan-Owen, Cabinet Member for Resources, said: “I am really pleased with what we have managed to achieve with the proposed budget. We have been able to find major savings and control spending so that we can keep the council tax increase under five per cent without any reduction in the quality of our front-line services.

“Our council tax is low compared to the other district councils in the country and we are committed to continue making efficiency savings and keeping council tax at sustainable levels. We will manage our resources to respond to growth pressures where possible, invest in essential services and continue to deliver excellent value to our residents.”

The cabinet’s budget proposal will be discussed in detail by the full meeting of the district council on 8 February.