This weeks update.
Hello All,
A slightly less busy week last week.
On Tuesday we had the monthly Town Council meeting where we welcomed the two new co opted Town Councillor, Teresa McGardle and Margaret Rawcliffe. Other items on the agenda included the financial short fall for the Town Council failing to live with in our means.
We tendered for the open spaces contract asking for a bells and whistle specification. We asked Fylde Borough Council to do this. They came back with a price which we did not market test or question, based on the assumption that Fylde will pay the extra. Fylde, then paid the open spaces grant based on what they paid last year, which is £8,000 less than assumed, but by which time we've signed a contract for the open spaces grant.
It's a bit of a tricky situation, made no less easier as Fylde both pay the open spaces grant and carry out the open spaces maintenance. This leads some people to thinking that Fylde is conning us. Not at all, they bid based on a tender specification which we put together. The fact that one department at Fylde is doing the contract is just the same as any other contractor doing the work. And incidentally they are doing a really good job.
So the choices are stark. We cut something from the budget, or we rasie the precept. The current precept is about £6.50 a year collected through your council tax. For every £1 the precept goes up, we raise just over £1000. So we'd have to put the precept up to £14.50 a year, or £1.40 a month. The cuts would be maybe shutting the bowling green, less flowers or less grass cutting.
We are trying to ask Fylde to make up the difference! So that means everyone in the borough has to pay for Wesham Council's assumption. Wesham Council owns it's own open spaces and as landowners and a Town Council it is our responsibility to maintain them. The historic open spaces grant system is out dated and puts Wesham's very local destiny into the hands of others. Others who have duties and responsibilities to provide other priorities, like emptying the bins and cleaning the streets.
I'd welcome your views on this. Do you mind paying £1.40 a month extra or not?
Get in touch; e-mail simon@wesham.com or ring 681983.
Regards,
Simon
A slightly less busy week last week.
On Tuesday we had the monthly Town Council meeting where we welcomed the two new co opted Town Councillor, Teresa McGardle and Margaret Rawcliffe. Other items on the agenda included the financial short fall for the Town Council failing to live with in our means.
We tendered for the open spaces contract asking for a bells and whistle specification. We asked Fylde Borough Council to do this. They came back with a price which we did not market test or question, based on the assumption that Fylde will pay the extra. Fylde, then paid the open spaces grant based on what they paid last year, which is £8,000 less than assumed, but by which time we've signed a contract for the open spaces grant.
It's a bit of a tricky situation, made no less easier as Fylde both pay the open spaces grant and carry out the open spaces maintenance. This leads some people to thinking that Fylde is conning us. Not at all, they bid based on a tender specification which we put together. The fact that one department at Fylde is doing the contract is just the same as any other contractor doing the work. And incidentally they are doing a really good job.
So the choices are stark. We cut something from the budget, or we rasie the precept. The current precept is about £6.50 a year collected through your council tax. For every £1 the precept goes up, we raise just over £1000. So we'd have to put the precept up to £14.50 a year, or £1.40 a month. The cuts would be maybe shutting the bowling green, less flowers or less grass cutting.
We are trying to ask Fylde to make up the difference! So that means everyone in the borough has to pay for Wesham Council's assumption. Wesham Council owns it's own open spaces and as landowners and a Town Council it is our responsibility to maintain them. The historic open spaces grant system is out dated and puts Wesham's very local destiny into the hands of others. Others who have duties and responsibilities to provide other priorities, like emptying the bins and cleaning the streets.
I'd welcome your views on this. Do you mind paying £1.40 a month extra or not?
Get in touch; e-mail simon@wesham.com or ring 681983.
Regards,
Simon
posted by Councillor Simon Renwick at 8:41 am
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