Towns set out plans for council tax cash

Oakham residents will see the parish share of their council tax bill drop by 3.2 per cent.

Oakham Town Council has set out its spending plans for 2019/20 and shaved around £8,000 off last year’s budget.

The savings will be passed on to the taxpayer, which is a contrast to last year when the town council raised its portion of the bill by 16 per cent.

Oakham mayor Adam Lowe says it comes down to careful spending and plans for the redevelopment of Oakham town centre being put on hold.

He said: “We have been prudent this year and have produced a sound budget.”

The council had set aside £10,000 to use on street furniture as part of the plans to redevelop the centre of Oakham, but the plans were dropped last year following complaints from the public.

A working party is continuing to look at ways to revitalise the town and if money is needed, the town council will use its reserves.

Mr Lowe said: “Our reserves are quite healthy at the moment, and we have about £20,000 more than the minimum needed, so we can dip into them if needed.”

Oakham Town Council’s total budget for the year will be £265,180 - a drop of £8,810.

It doesn’t include any significant spending projects because members didn’t feel it was appropriate to start anything new in the run up to the election in May, but one of the main priorities for the year will be to complete the neighbourhood plan.

Uppingham Town Council has approved an increase of 11.26 per cent on its share of the council tax bill - the equivalent of 15p per week for a Band D property.

Last year it froze its precept.

The main priority will be improving access and play equipment at Tod’s Piece.

The council will continue its refurbishment work at the town hall with improved access from High Street East and more storage space to accommodate the increasing number of users.

Some of the funding will come from grants and payments from developers in the town.

Uppingham mayor Miranda Jones said: “I am encouraged that the increasing interaction between the council and Uppingham residents continues to guide our prioritisation of activities and expenditure throughout the year.

“We are currently working on a strategic five-year plan to ensure astute management of all our resources for the benefit of the
town.

“You can be assured the council will extract maximum value and benefit from its revenue and precept, including the improvement and maintenance of important community spaces and venues.”

The town council also hopes to refresh its neighbourhood plan in the next year.