Council approves Budget and sets its Precept for 2016/17
At its Full Council meeting of 15 December 2015, Horley Town Council approved its budget for 2016/17 and set its Town Precept. Cllr Samantha Marshall, Chairman of the Town Council’s Finance & General Purposes Committee, explained that the Precept for 2016/2017 has been set at a total net figure of £315,882. This means that the Town element of Council Tax will be an annual amount of £35.24 (less than 68p per week), representing an annual increase of 62p per Band D household (+ 1.79 %).
Cllr Marshall commented: "The Town Council remains fully committed to maintaining all its services, as well as pursuing a programme of enhancements and new projects. These will include improvements to our recreation grounds and playgrounds. (An updated Corporate Plan will be published in April 2016.)
The Town Council will continue to support St Bartholomew’s New Churchyard and has made provision for £6,000 towards its grounds maintenance, subject to the approval of a grant application from the Church. Full details of all charges for 2016/2017, for the hire of Town Council owned facilities, will be announced shortly.
The Town Council will continue to review security in its recreation grounds. The CCTV cameras at Horley Recreation Ground have recently been replaced with upgraded models, thanks to funding from the Police & Crime Commissioner’s Community Safety Fund. Provision has been made for continued enhancements to CCTV, in consultation with Surrey Police. There will also continue to be a commitment for regular security patrols in all our parks to aid the safety of all members of public.
The Council has also made provision for floral displays to enhance the town centre for the benefit of residents and visitors, in support of our planned entries for South and South East in Bloom 2016, having already won two Silver Gilt awards in 2015.
This Council will continue to seek funding from appropriate bodies. The Council will increase its earmarked funds by £30,000 for new projects including the replacement of our aging skatepark. We have already received an award from Surrey County Council’s Community Improvements Fund towards the skatepark project. We are formulating other bids to several grant providers for the new skatepark. We are also grateful to those Borough and County Cllrs who continue to use their Community Awards Scheme to provide generous funding for other projects.
In conclusion, in a challenging financial climate, Horley Town Council is committed to providing and enhancing facilities that meet the communities’ needs, and in doing so, achieving them at best value."
Detailed information on the budget will be available on our website www.horleysurrey-tc.gov.uk under documents/2016/strategic documents & policies or from the Town Council Offices.
