NTC 2012-23 Budget Options

[Simon Kirby]

NTC have published their draft service budget so we can have a reasonable guess at the 2012-13 service costs, precept, and tax bill.

Headline figures are a precept of £989,512, £72,644 more than last year, a 7.9% increase. Band 'D' tax bill is £76.62, 6.5% up on last year, a slightly lower increase that the precept rise because I've assumed the population grew by 1.4%, the same as it did last year.

Significant new costs are a 24% increase of £23.4k in the cost of the town-hall due largely to a £10.5k loss of the CCTV rental revenue, and an £8.5k increase in running costs, and a new PWLB loan for Viccy Park also adds £25k of repayment overheads spread across all services.

The cost of the allotment service increases 13% by £11.2k to a new cost of £97.0k, due to a 21% increase in maintenance costs and a general increase in the service overheads, this despite a 5.2% increase in allotment rents, the biggest increase of any service charge which even drew an unprecedented criticism from the council's own allotment steward.

This is where your money goes: £53,913 on the market, £40,705 on floral displays, £61,368 on chrimbo lights, £128,805 for the cemeteries, £319,123 on the parks and open spaces, £97,080 for the allotment service (cheers), £113,082 for the mayoral pomp, £19,185 for the WBC toilets, £9,650 for the WBC flood defences, £52,058 for the WBC neighbourhood wardens, £60,893 on park benches and dog bins, and £36,150 given away by lady bountiful.

[Guest_xjay1337_*]

Hmm...£100k on flowers and some pretty lights? No thanks.

Although to me, everything else seems quite fair. But then again I am neither here nor there on matters of serious council, they never listen to what we want anyway.

I thought Council Tax was to be fixed for a number of years anyway? Unless that expired this year. :|

[On the edge]

£53k on the market! For doing what?

[Simon Kirby]

I thought Council Tax was to be fixed for a number of years anyway? Unless that expired this year. :|

Yes and no. The town council don't actually get any council tax, the town council levy a precept on west berks council who collect it on behalf of NTC with the council tax. NTC are free to set whatever precept they like without any constraint.

[Cognosco]

£53k on the market! For doing what?

So whatever is bought at the market is not as cheap as those that use it thought?
Last time I managed to have a look around the market it looked pretty dire to me! Now I know how much it is actually costing then that makes it even worse!

The cost of the park benches and dog bins seems a rather steep figure?

[user23]

Don't Sovereign manage the Neighborhood Wardens?

[Simon Kirby]

£53k on the market! For doing what?

The £53,913 market cost is £66,132 of running costs, £17,605 cost of the service staff directly delivering the service, £1,231 overheads which is mostly the PWLB repayment, £58,000 revenue, £13,638 of back-office administration, and £13,307 of facilities overheads which is mainly the office accomodation.

Of the £66,132 running costs, £46,722 is the WBC refuse contract. I'm fairly certain that the contract was placed with WBC without going to tender which, if I'm right, is actually a violation of the town council's financial regulations. I'm also faily certain that it doesn't represent anything like best value and is largely responsible for the poor ecconomics of the charter market.

[Simon Kirby]

Don't Sovereign manage the Neighborhood Wardens?

Yes, and they are very good.

I thought WBC actually contracted with Sovereign to provide the service and that NTC contributed to the cost - does the money actually go directly to Sovereign rather than via WBC?

[Simon Kirby]

The cost of the park benches and dog bins seems a rather steep figure?

It's a bit of a catch-all, more than just dog bins and park benches, accounted for under four separate heads: assets (seats, bins, dog bins, grit bins, bus shelters, works of art), war memorial, footway lighting, clock house.

[NWNREADER]

The amount and target was your phraseology, albeit an apparent précis

[On the edge]

Sop, then, summing up - not exactly good value is it!

[NewburyP]

Does anyone know how much NTC spend on staffing costs to administer this budget - can't seem to find it anywhere.

[Simon Kirby]

Does anyone know how much NTC spend on staffing costs to administer this budget - can't seem to find it anywhere.

Total staffing cost is currently £338,085. They don't publish the breakdown but you can infer it from the relative net cost of the service and admin heads in the precept breakdown, with the revenues, running costs, and a few other bits and bobs from the income and expenditure account annexed to each Policy and Resources agenda.

NTC has no direct-labour staff so all of their staffing is administrative of one kind or another which is accounted for against various overheads and services, along with a catch-all bucket of 'administration'. This is the breakdown of staffing costs:

CODE

administration                                      £98k
town hall                                           £49k
parks, open spaces, recreation grounds              £39k
civic duties                                        £37k
allotments                                          £36k
cemeteries                                          £28k
market                                              £18k
christmas lights                                    £12k
assets, war memorial, footway lighting, clock house £13k
floral displays                                      £8k
young people's council                               £2k
committee expenditure                                £1k

[NewburyP]

Total staffing cost is currently £338,085. They don't publish the breakdown but you can infer it from the relative net cost of the service and admin heads in the precept breakdown, with the revenues, running costs, and a few other bits and bobs from the income and expenditure account annexed to each Policy and Resources agenda.

NTC has no direct-labour staff so all of their staffing is administrative of one kind or another which is accounted for against various overheads and services, along with a catch-all bucket of 'administration'. This is the breakdown of staffing costs:

CODE

administration                                      £98k
town hall                                           £49k
parks, open spaces, recreation grounds              £39k
civic duties                                        £37k
allotments                                          £36k
cemeteries                                          £28k
market                                              £18k
christmas lights                                    £12k
assets, war memorial, footway lighting, clock house £13k
floral displays                                      £8k
young people's council                               £2k
committee expenditure                                £1k

An outrageous amount of money on staffing costs - a third of the budget spent on staff to administer the budget! Anything over 20% is excessive and should be reviewed immediately.

[Cognosco]

An outrageous amount of money on staffing costs - a third of the budget spent on staff to administer the budget! Anything over 20% is excessive and should be reviewed immediately.

It certainly looks as if we need a good pruning if not a disbanding of the council in these hard times.
Is this expenditure really required to run such a small council?

[Simon Kirby]

NTC are currently recruiting for a bean-counter - £33k to £38k with free car parking. Seems quite well paid for a book-keeper. In fact with a full-time equivelent staff of 9.5 and staff costs of £338k that looks to be pretty much average for a local government officer. Like NewburyP says, an outrageous amount of money on staffing costs.

[On the edge]

Can't do other than agree! The 'free car parking' is a good one. Are we not supposed to be setting an example here? That is quite out of order, particularly for a new post.

Advert says its like a small business. Some of us wish that was true!

[Simon Kirby]

The full draft budget is published now. Looks like NTC staff get a 7.7% pay rise, and the £250k loan for Viccy Park is still going ahead.

[NWNREADER]

Pay rises, or a 7.7% increase in staff costs?
Town residents need to challenge the council if they are unhappy - emails, letters, and questions at meetings.

[Simon Kirby]

Pay rises, or a 7.7% increase in staff costs?
Town residents need to challenge the council if they are unhappy - emails, letters, and questions at meetings.

You're right, it's staff costs, that isn't necessarily down to a pay rise, they may have taken on extra staff, but I'm not aware of which service area has expanded to justify the increase.

I'd ask the question myself, but it was for just this kind of question that the Council declared me to be a Vexatious Complainant, and I can tell you that was a humiliating and degrading experience and not one I wish to repeat - I guess that's the point really.