BUDGET AND PRECEPT 2008-9

PRESS RELEASE  10th December 2007

Camelford Town Council sets the Budget for 2008/2009

At the Council meeting on 6th December, Camelford Town Council recommended a reduced Budget for the next financial year. 

The Council has looked carefully at all ways of making savings in order to keep the precept as low as possible. This has resulted in a precept (the Camelford component of Council Tax) for 2008/2009 of £90,066 which includes £10,000 to replenish the reserves. 

In 2006 the then Council set a budget of £103,769 for 2007/2008, but the precept of £57,319 was kept artificially low by taking £20,180 out of the reserves.

The decision to return Churchfield car park to be free and the need to replenish the reserves has resulted in an increase in the precept which amounts to approximately 58p per week. 

Although the Council regrets this, it was agreed that this was necessary in order to build up the reserves again and to be in a better financial position bearing in mind the uncertainty in the run up to the new Unitary Authority for Cornwall in 2009.  The decision to return Churchfield car park to non pay was controversial, but was only taken after careful thought regarding the welfare of Camelford Town as a whole. 

Camelford is dependent on attracting people from the surrounding areas to use all the facilities in the town and could not thrive if it were only used by people living in the town and nearby. The Council has therefore decided that the relatively small weekly increase in the precept is justified.  The Council will continue to monitor the way in which the car park is used for the benefit of the Town and will seek to maximise income at the same time as looking for effective ways of reducing costs. 

As for next year, we are taking a number of actions in an effort to keep costs down.  By streamlining the accounting and other office processes we anticipate that the clerk will work a 4 day week.  Town Maintenance is to be brought 'in-house'. We are aiming to make other savings