BUDE-Stratton Town Council unanimously backed the Finance and General Purposes Committee’s recommendation for a precept of £875,899 for the 2019/20 financial year, an increase of £42,106, at December’s full council meeting at the Parkhouse Centre on Thursday, December 6.

The move means that a council tax for a Band D property will be £236.32 a year, an increase of 3.1342%, which equates to 13.8p a week or £7.18 per year.

In 2018/19 the council tax on a Band D property was £229.14 (up 2.9% on the year previous), with a council tax base.

The council faces a number of cost growth pressures, some is driven by wage and other cost inflation but significantly a number of areas of service growth are also being undertaken.

Whilst steps have been taken to reduce budgeted spend in certain areas, overall, the precept will need to increase.

The Library and Information Service is due to be devolved from Cornwall Council in March next year, so full year effects on budget have been factored in.

The council’s financial strategy was to increase the precept to ensure continued delivery of this important public service, whilst using some reserves to soften the impact in the initial years after transfer.

Two additional play parks (Summerleaze and Crooklets beaches) are in the process of being devolved. These will require some capital spend to re-provide obsolete or removed equipment as-well as ongoing insurance, inspection and maintenance costs.

Preparations are being made to purchase and reopen Stratton and Poughill public toilets, which could also need some capital spend and will impact on wage and service costs. The existing devolved toilets will also require some refurbishment spend over the coming year.

Consideration is also being given to providing greater enforcement activity within the parish with budgeting for the CEO (Civil Enforcement Officer).

The total staff budget for 2019/20 is £683,472 which is about 53% of total spend.

At a national level, increases have been agreed of 2% in 2018/19 and 2% in 2019/20 for the relatively few higher graded staff.

Lower graded staff are receiving larger increases along with the effect of pay band consolidation of the Spinal Column Points, this has meant up to 10% increases for a number of staff in their pay structure over the two-year period. All permanently contracted staff will receive the National Living Wage as of April 19.

A number of significant changes to the staffing structure have been set for 2019/20. The addition of the above services has been somewhat off-set by changes to office posts and the management structure, which have removed some £40,000 from staff budgets.

General inflation has been running at about 2.5%, with a number of uncertainties and could well rise further during the course of the year. Business rates, insurance premiums and the cost of many supplies are also increasing above the general rate of inflation.

The report setting out the precepy states that the council continues to hold a relatively high level of reserves, though it does have an extensive and aged property portfolio to maintain. Existing earmarked reserves and unspent provisions in the 2018/19 budget against specific projects will be carried forward as reserves available to the named projects in 2019/20 with play parks (£164,115), Parkhouse entrance (£139,869) and castle repainting (£46,460) planned during the year, along with costs for toilet upgrades.

In seeking to ensure the council retains the ability to maintain the quality of its assets over time, rolling provisions are being made in annual budgets for property maintenance, vehicle replacement and IT equipment.

£12,550 will also be used from reserves to support the introduction of the Library and Information Service.

After the chairman of the Financial and General Purposes Committee, Cllr Peter Moores, gave a brief rundown explaining the changes outlined above, Cornwall Councillor for Bude, Peter La Broy, said: “Year on year it’s getting better. Thanks to Cllr Moores and the clerk for the cracking work they’re doing.”

The committee’s recommendation was put before the councillors which was unanimously backed.