The Simpson and Ashland Parish Budget 2019/20
The Parish Budget for Simpson and Ashland Parish Council for the 2019/20 year was agreed at the January 2019.
The 2019/20 budget for Simpson and Ashland was agreed at the Parish Council meeting in January, and with it a small increase in the precept – the portion of the Council Tax that you pay to Milton Keynes Council that is then transferred to the Parish Council. When you receive your Council Tax notification in March you will see that the increase is 6.75%, the equivalent of around £0.49 per a week for a Band D property. The increase in income to the parish is matched, in part, by a reduction in the subsidy that the Parish Council will receive from MKC, as a consequence of central government policies.
The future is quite uncertain as Milton Keynes Council (MKC) has yet to decide where it is going to make the multi-million pound savings required by central government between now and 2020/21, with the likely effect that some of its statutory services (for example adult social care) will have to change. MKC is also considering devolving some of the services it currently provides to town and parish councils. The timetable for this has shifted and it now it looks as if these changes may not happen until 2020 at the earliest.
Simpson and Ashland Parish Council (SAPC) is keen to ensure that the parish is well placed to take up the challenges that a shift in services will bring and so we have been considering how best to prepare for this. We know from the feedback that we receive from those who live, visit and work here that the open spaces in Simpson and Ashland are greatly appreciated, and there is a real desire to see them maintained and cared for in a sustainable manner. Maintenance of open spaces will form one of the devolved services, so we have decided to put SAPC on the front foot and over the coming twelve months we will begin to take over some of the services that keep our open spaces in good order.
To ensure that we get best value for money we are having discussions with those parish and town councils that already manage the maintenance of their open spaces and it may be that we join in commissioning with them. Having greater control of the services at a parish level also means that residents can input into what services we would like – for example, how often the grass is cut or shrubs are trimmed. We will also be moving to a position where these services are funded directly out of the precept.
Over the last two years, SAPC has built up its financial reserves so that money can be spent on upgrading the Village Hall, the Community Action:MK project in Ashland and the appointment of a part-time community worker (see advert in this issue). This will enable the PC to continue to provide the services that you have come to expect, as well as getting us to a position where we will be able to pay for the additional services we are taking over. But the PC cannot do this alone and we will be providing many opportunities for you to get involved, and to let us know your thoughts on what services are important to you and how these could or should be delivered in the future.
The 2019/20 budget for Simpson and Ashland was agreed at the Parish Council meeting in January, and with it a small increase in the precept – the portion of the Council Tax that you pay to Milton Keynes Council that is then transferred to the Parish Council. When you receive your Council Tax notification in March you will see that the increase is 6.75%, the equivalent of around £0.49 per a week for a Band D property. The increase in income to the parish is matched, in part, by a reduction in the subsidy that the Parish Council will receive from MKC, as a consequence of central government policies.
The future is quite uncertain as Milton Keynes Council (MKC) has yet to decide where it is going to make the multi-million pound savings required by central government between now and 2020/21, with the likely effect that some of its statutory services (for example adult social care) will have to change. MKC is also considering devolving some of the services it currently provides to town and parish councils. The timetable for this has shifted and it now it looks as if these changes may not happen until 2020 at the earliest.
Simpson and Ashland Parish Council (SAPC) is keen to ensure that the parish is well placed to take up the challenges that a shift in services will bring and so we have been considering how best to prepare for this. We know from the feedback that we receive from those who live, visit and work here that the open spaces in Simpson and Ashland are greatly appreciated, and there is a real desire to see them maintained and cared for in a sustainable manner. Maintenance of open spaces will form one of the devolved services, so we have decided to put SAPC on the front foot and over the coming twelve months we will begin to take over some of the services that keep our open spaces in good order.
To ensure that we get best value for money we are having discussions with those parish and town councils that already manage the maintenance of their open spaces and it may be that we join in commissioning with them. Having greater control of the services at a parish level also means that residents can input into what services we would like – for example, how often the grass is cut or shrubs are trimmed. We will also be moving to a position where these services are funded directly out of the precept.
Over the last two years, SAPC has built up its financial reserves so that money can be spent on upgrading the Village Hall, the Community Action:MK project in Ashland and the appointment of a part-time community worker (see advert in this issue). This will enable the PC to continue to provide the services that you have come to expect, as well as getting us to a position where we will be able to pay for the additional services we are taking over. But the PC cannot do this alone and we will be providing many opportunities for you to get involved, and to let us know your thoughts on what services are important to you and how these could or should be delivered in the future.
