Stanway Parish Council: 2020/2021 Budget proposals OUR VISION FOR 2020/2021 budget year • To realign our financial budget with our peers: Colchester Parish councils average Band D = £55.29 Stanway = £45.25 ( 2019/2020) • Comply with all our regulatory and statutory obligations • Bring our assets and services up to expected standards • Be prepared for expected future expenditure by building up our reserves • Provide new facilities for our growing population that are visible and fit for purpose • To have administration support in both staff and facilities that is aligned with the size of our community
Stanway Parish Council: Peer Comparison Cost per household Financial Comparison Population (2017 est.) 120 400000 10000 9000 350000 100 8000 300000 7000 80 250000 6000 60 200000 5000 4000 40 150000 3000 100000 20 2000 50000 1000 0 2019/2020 0 0 Precept 2018/2019 Staffing Costs 2018/19 Precept 2019/20 Wivenhoe West Mersea Wivenhoe West Mersea Wivenhoe West Mersea Tiptree Stanway Tiptree Stanway Tiptree Stanway
Stanway Parish Council: Background • Stanway has grown from a village to a small town in the last 20 years and is now larger that Wivenhoe and West Mersea • SPC in the past has not aligned its services and financial budget with this growth • In the past 10 years, some of this can be reasoned with the restrictions being applied by the government due to the economic conditions but the current climate is much more flexible and forward-thinking • As a result of continued low increases in budget, SPC has fallen behind on meeting its corporate governance obligations and maintaining its assets, services and administrative support • SPC’s administrative support has been stretched and not been able to work effectively or manage its succession planning • Legally, SPC must calculate its precept on future and past costs, including contingencies and financial reserves • SPC has not been able to fund any new projects in last 10 years due to lack of reserves
Stanway Parish Council: Key areas of concern ASSETS SERVICES ADMINISTRATION • • • Village Hall Complex Information management Key person risk • • • Trees and bushes Community events Staff retention • • • Play Areas Burial grounds Succession planning • • • Open Spaces Sports facilities Risk Management • • • Street Lighting Website Policy & document management • New projects
Stanway Parish Council: Budget Proposal Recommendation • Increase SPC total annual precept budget from £172,675 to £270,000 for 2020/2021 • Proposed increase raises our 2020/2021 precept to be 1.2% of the total tax bill (Band D) • This represents an increase of £21.25 pa for a Band D property = 41 pence per week • SPC Band D will increase from £1772 pa to £1793.25 plus CBC, ECC, Police & Fire increase • Average Colchester Parish Council’s precept for 2019/2020 is £55.29 pa • Stanway Parish Council’s is £45.25 pa for 2019/2020 • Currently SPC precept is only 43% of its peer group (Tiptree, Wivenhoe & West Bergholt) • With the proposed increase, SPC’s staffing costs will still only be 28.4% of its precept • SPC’s peer group staffing costs average 56% of their precept
Stanway Parish Council: Budget Proposal Rationale Summary • Budgetary obligations – by law, councillors must set a budget that covers ALL costs, including future contingencies • Asset management – almost all the Council’s assets require repair /maintenance /replacement • Future Commitments – the Council is financially unprepared for significant potential commitments • Administration – the Council is still vulnerable to the disruption that it has experienced in recent years • Staffing – the Council’s staff numbers are inadequate for a council of its size, its current and its future services. • Staff facilities – the facilities and equipment provided for staff to carry out their duties properly are not fully adequate • Policy Management – the Council has failed to keep pace with much of its statutory obligations • Document management – the Council has not managed its documentation correctly for several years • Risk Management – the Council is still vulnerable to public liability arising from the condition of its assets • Financial Management – the Council financial position is not strong and has fallen considerably behind its peer group, both in the Borough and across the County, over many years. • Reserves - earmarked reserves are required both immediately and to be built up in the future
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