Town Council proposed grants to community facilities
This information was included as a flyer in the most recent copy of the Leaflet, delivered to all houses in Charlbury.
- There will be a public meeting on Wednesday 16th November at 8pm in the Memorial Hall.
- Subject to the outcome of the above, there will be a Parish Poll held on Thursday 8th December.
- The Parish Poll will be held in the Memorial Hall between 4pm and 9pm. There will not be any poll cards issued so please note this date as it will be extremely important that as many as possible vote on the question posed. The outcome of this vote will determine the amount of loan which the Town Council will seek.
Charlbury Town Council is preparing to set its budget for the financial year 2017/18. This process determines the total sum of money to be allocated to the various areas for which the Town Council is responsible. Most costs are unavoidable, including maintenance of such areas as the Cemetery, Nine Acres, Mill Field, grass cutting, play equipment and similar. Also included this budget are requested grants to bodies such as the Day Centre, Children's Centre, Dementia-Friendly Charlbury, the Museum, churchyard grass cutting, and other requests as they arise.
This year, there have been significant developments in terms of the Community Centre project coming to fruition, and the associated loss of the building on the Spendlove site formerly used by the Sports & Social Club. The Town Council has been asked to provide grants to both the Community Centre and the Sports & Social Club, in order to enable completion of external works at the Community Centre, and for a new building to house the Sports & Social Club in its new format and name.
Both of these projects will provide much improved modern community facilities. Accordingly, the Town Councillors have considered carefully how this could be achieved. The only way available is to seek consent for a loan to be taken to provide the sums necessary. The total loan required will be £200,000, which would be taken on a 20-year repayment basis.
Based on the current interest rate, which varies only marginally on a daily basis, the annual cost to the Council would be around £12,000, or the equivalent of approximately £10 per annum on a property with a Band D council tax rating, fixed for 20 years, in addition to existing unavoidable costs. Clearly this would be less for lower bands, and higher for those above Band D: Band D is considered the average for these purposes. These costs will continue until 2037.
The agreed split of the loan is £130,000 to the Community Centre (Band D cost £6.50pa) and £70,000 to the Sports & Social Club (Band D cost £3.50pa). Grants given will be subject to conditions set by the Town Council.
To obtain approval for the loan, a submission has to be made to the Department for Communities and Local Government. Each application is required to demonstrate that it has local support; that the effect on Council Tax is understood and accepted; and that repayment is sustainable alongside all other expenditure obligations, so far as can be foreseen.
Thank you for reading this. As your views are important in reaching a decision, please make them known at the public meeting and in the Parish Poll.
Town Clerk, Charlbury Town Council, October 2016
Wed 2 Nov 2016, 19:50 · Link