Extra 29p to pay for parish council

Shaw and Crompton Parish Council
SHAW and Crompton residents will be forking out only 29p a year extra to pay for the parish council.

Councillors approved their budget for 2010/11 with the council tax precept going up by 2 per cent.

For a Band D property this will mean an annual rise from £14.25 to £14.54.

The parish council has made major changes to its £95,907 budget to keep it balanced.

The biggest increases it is expecting include a whopping 160 per cent increase for civic events (from £250 to £650) with audit fees and bank charges soaring from £925 to £1,350 (a 45.9 per cent rise).

Insurance will increase from £925 to £1,350 (45.9 per cent) and civic improvements from £2,400 to £2,900 (20.8 per cent).

But cut backs and savings to compensate see officers expenses reduced by half from £400 to £200, training funds reduced by 40 per cent from £500 to £300 and publications reduced from £460 to £275 (40.3 per cent).

There are also savings on heating, lighting, cleaning, telephones and stationery and a 73 per cent reduction on money set aside for one-off events, down from £1,700 to £450.

The communications and promotions sub-committee will continue to get £11,000, the environment committee £23,000, and Citizens Advice Bureau £3,750.


Salute to a soldier town in mourning

THE parish council has written to Wootton Bassett town council to express support and appreciation of the respect the town’s residents have shown during the repatriation of the bodies of soldiers killed in Afghanistan.

In a letter of reply, town clerk Johnathan Bourne thanked them for their sentiments and said if councillors ever visited they would be made most welcome and could spend a few quiet moments of reflection at their memorial.

He added: “Every one of the repatriations is a sad event which reinforces the pride and gratitude we feel for our armed services personnel.

“It is especially reassuring to know that throughout the country, and even the world, people like yourself feel the same as we do.”