Parish council says its budget will empower community

Haydon Wick Parish Council has created a budget it describes as considered, balanced and careful.

It has set its precept of £128.89 per year, pointing out  that, compared with the other four largest councils in Swindon, Haydon Wick Parish Council’s precept is still the lowest in monetary terms - with the highest precept for a band D property being £187.11 per year.

The council says the budget will enable the council to continue its work on maintaining the parish to a high standard and working with the community to reduce loneliness and isolation, with projects such as the successful Memory Café, Haydon Wick Haven and Warm & Welcome Spaces community cafes. 

The budget, the council says, will also continue to fund the award-winning community transport service and one-off events such as the Murder Mystery and Curry & Quiz night. 

Chairman of the council, Cllr Vinay Manro, said: “The Parish Council has been working hard to maintain and improve the quality of life for our residents within the parish. 

"To achieve this, we have made some important choices to ensure a fair and sustainable budget. 

"Haydon Wick Parish Council’s precept is one of the best value in Swindon given the range of services we provide. Despite the rising costs of living, our commitment to providing excellent service whilst continuing to give value for money.

"We have been careful and responsible with our previous budgets, which has helped us cope with the current situation. We have also been mindful of the rising cost that many of our residents are facing. 

"That is why we have set this year’s precept at £128.89 per year for a Band D property, which will help continue to deliver all of the services we provide for residents of Haydon Wick.”

 

The council said in its precept announcement: "Like its residents, the council has also experienced significant rises in costs from external forces this year to factor into its budget - materials, fuel, insurances, and the employees’ contractual cost of living have all see significant rises to balance. 

"Wherever possible contracts have been reviewed and cost savings have been achieved. 

"The employees’ cost of living increases are set at a national level and the council is contractually obliged to honour any increases set. For the past two years the national agreement has been set higher than that predicted. 

"For the coming financial year, a contingency has been put in place to ensure that the council has the funds to meet this obligation.

"The Council has successfully achieved cost savings on the projected spend for this financial year, and where possible, has reduced expenditure for the coming financial year. 

"It continues to look at ways of promoting its services and increasing its revenue, for example, by the sales of advertising space in the parish magazine which exceeded the budget by more than 500% in 2023/24 – this will help to balance the budget and further save costs being drawn from the precept."

The announcement continued: "Where possible the council has repurposed its Ear Marked Reserves to lessen the impact of one-off capital expenditure. The General Reserves are constantly monitored, in line with the policy, and used to further reduce the call on the Precept. 

"For the coming financial year, Council has supplemented the precept with £40,000 being used from its General Reserves. 

"The council is committed to building a new Grounds Maintenance Facility in 2024 which will house the Parks & Open Spaces Team and enhance operational efficiency. 

"This large-scale project has been three years in the making and is vital to enable its in-house team to deliver the good standard of grounds maintenance that the community has grown to appreciate. 

"Recognising the mental and physical wellbeing these outside spaces provide for its residents, the council has committed to improve the transparency of grounds maintenance schedules, as well as enhancements and effective management of the 24 playparks, three leisure garden/allotments site, and extensive green open spaces. 

"The council is committed to building funds to continue with the rolling play area refurbishment programme and will have accrued enough budget to be able to replace its Community Bus in a few years’ time – this replacement is vital because the service is reaching the most isolated and vulnerable in the community and was award winning in 2023."

The 18 parish councillors said in a joint statement: “This year’s budget has been compiled with the interest of residents in mind - it is not radical and it is being governed with a safe pair of hands. 

“We maintain play areas to a very high standard and we improve year on year.

“We do a lot of work in the community and are empowering our residents to help themselves. We have produced a functional budget and are getting ready to future proof the Council’s core operations by investing in new equipment and facilities.

“The council provides opportunities to people suffering from loneliness and a safe space to find out they are not alone.

“There is excellent work by Officers to show how transparent the Council is regarding the finances.

“Our community work is superb, our keep fit classes are fantastic.

“This council punches above its weight, comparable to other parishes in Swindon with what we are achieving on comparable budgets.

“We recognise that it is a tough time for residents, and we are picking up on the lack of service provision from Swindon Borough Council."