Archived press release

Date Published: 10/12/07

Band D council tax payers will face an increase of nine pence per week for Aylesbury Vale District Council services next year if initial budget proposals are carried through. Members of the district council’s cabinet this week considered a ...

Band D council tax payers will face an increase of nine pence per week for Aylesbury Vale District Council services next year if initial budget proposals are carried through.

Members of the district council’s cabinet this week considered a provisional revenue budget for the next financial year which proposes a four per cent increase in the authority’s council tax. This would see Band D bills for AVDC services go up by £4.84 a year to £126.05.

The proposed rise would ensure that the council balances its budget and maintains services that range from safe car parks, clean streets, housing advice and leisure centres, to refuse collection and recycling.

Although AVDC collects the whole council tax charge, only about 10 per cent of the total bill goes to the district council; the remainder is distributed to the county council, parish and town councils and the police and fire authorities.

A district budget requirement of £20 million is estimated for the next financial year, which will be funded by £11.5 million from the government and the remainder from council tax.

AVDC, as is the case for the majority of councils, faces budget pressures due to staffing and other costs increasing as a result of inflation. The council is also experiencing some reductions in key income streams.

More than 50 per cent of the district council’s financing is determined by the government. In 2008/9, the government is increasing the amount of general revenue grant that it gives to AVDC by 1.9 per cent, which equates to £214,000, even though inflation on the budget is more than £1.2 million. This gap in funding puts extra pressure on the council to find efficiencies in its operations.

AVDC is initiating a package of measures to achieve a difficult balancing act between the pressures to provide services of a high standard, accommodate population growth and to deliver a balanced budget. It has again managed this without affecting services to the public.

Councillor Margaret Morgan-Owen, Cabinet Member for Resources, said: “Set against a backdrop of financial pressures, many of which are out of our direct control, we have proposed a budget that protects our key front line services, delivers our priorities and also sets the way forward for the longer term. With a nine pence per week increase for the average taxpayer we feel that it continues to represent excellent value for money. It also means that we compare favourably to other councils of a similar size and type across the country.”

The budget proposal package will be referred to the council’s resources scrutiny committee for consideration and the cabinet will meet to consider their comments on the draft proposals and make its final recommendations on 15 January 2008. The 2008/9 budget will then be debated and set by full council on 6 February and come into force on 1 April 2008.