Buckingham Town Council has agreed to limit our portion of the Council Tax bill to an increase of only £2.75 a month for a Band D household. This means that the average household will pay £208.74 a year for all the Town Council’s services through their Council Tax.
The Town Council provides a wide range of services, including the Brackley Road Cemetery, Allotments, Bourton Park, Chandos Park, the Tourist Information Centre, the Lace Hill Sports and Community Centre and pitches, street markets, Flood, River and Tree Warden schemes and Shopmobility; as well as being responsible for the Buckingham Community Centre building.
The Council also runs or supports dozens of events a year and carries out works for Buckinghamshire Council under a devolved agreement, including maintaining highway verges throughout the town. The work the Council does for the community has been hit particularly hard by exceptional rises in inflation and interest rates, both during the past year and those forecast for the year ahead. These include the rise in costs to heat buildings and run vehicles as well as unpredictable increases in the costs of building materials and hardware. The Council has spent several months investigation options to reduce the impact of these rises on the budget for the following year, wherever possible.
Major projects for the Council in 2023 – 2024 include:
- The final stages of the repair of four bridges in Bourton Park, which will cost £45,000.
- A new Neighbourhood Development Plan, ensuring developments in the town are in line with the existing plan, and that residents are consulted on plans for the future. Neighbourhood Plans can be used to secure funding for facilities that the town needs, and this a core focus of the Council.
- Revised plans for the new cemetery and allotment site off Tingewick Road will following consultation, continue and by the end of the year, work should begin on site.
- Put plans and resources in place to take on additional services and green spaces as the town develops.
The Town Mayor, Margaret Gateley, said: “We were particularly conscious of the impact of the cost of living crisis when setting our precept this year. Although we recognise that any increase affects households which are already stretched, we believe that Buckingham Town Council provides good value for money. We run many free events throughout the year, which alongside our beautiful parks are available for everyone to enjoy.”
