Council tax bills in the Burnham-On-Sea area are set to rise by £5 per year to help fund £5million of improvements to local public services across Sedgemoor.
Sedgemoor District Council has this week set a balanced budget with no cuts to public services for the coming financial year, but Sedgemoor’s proportion of the council tax is to increase the Band D tax by £5 per year.
Cllr Duncan McGinty, Leader of Sedgemoor District Council, pictured below, presented the council’s last formal budget on Thursday (February 24th) as an “inclusive, joint budget” from the leaders of the political parties in Sedgemoor.
He says the emphasis has been “on continuing to support residents and businesses throughout the Covid pandemic, whilst delivering frontline services and taking opportunities to kick-start economic recovery.”
“The budget showed that there is a firm commitment to press ahead with ambitious plans to invest just over £5m so that Sedgemoor’s services and projects can be handed over in terrific shape to the new Somerset Council at the end of March 2023.”
One of the Lib Dem proposals was to allocate £50,000 for following up recommendations on Burnham town centre from the government’s High Street Task Force.
Cllr Phil Harvey says: “It was recently announced that the High Street Task Force would carry out work in a further 68 local authorities, including Sedgemoor. I lobbied Sedgemoor officers to put forward Burnham for this help and the Liberal Democrat group followed this up with the budget proposal.”
Cllr Mike Murphy added: “Burnham High Street, in common with many others, has had a hard time over the last two years. Expert help on the best way forward will be of great benefit to the town.”
Announcements in the Sedgemoor budget speech include:-
- £500,000 additional funding into work towards preparing for the new council.
- £100,000 to take over the management of Brean Beach, at the request of Brean Parish Council. The funds will ensure the council is fully staffed and equipped; beach vehicles, improvements to toilets and facilities.
- £150,000 for playground equipment across the district, along with additional funding for ongoing maintenance. This will speed up the replacement of aging equipment with modern, brighter and more ‘play value’ for younger residents.
- £20,000 to add to the £1.5m for spent since 2015 for training and developing our 55 apprentices.
- £50,000 into a Burnham-On-Sea and Highbridge High Street task-force.
- £775,000 into four community halls across the district with specific needs.
- £500,000 fund for rural village or community halls. This will make sure that they continue to be the cornerstone of their communities; an invaluable and important part of neighbourhood life and are mostly run by hard-working volunteer committees.
- £180,000 to continue to support Citizens Advice Sedgemoor.
- £50,000 for a feasibility study for the Strawberry Line in Cheddar.
- £100,000 to fund ‘Changing Places’ toilets installed in Burnham.
- £50,000 for four all-terrain wheelchairs to make visitor attractions in Sedgemoor accessible.
- £171,000 for specific Bridgwater-based projects
Cllr McGinty’s full budget speech:
“Chairman, members of council, colleagues and members of the public. Over the past 17 years, I usually start off my budget speech along the lines of “it gives me great pleasure to present this year’s budget proposals”. Sadly, today, it is with very mixed emotions that I present Sedgemoor District Council’s last formal budget. I am immensely proud of what has been achieved, not only in the past year, but over the past 48 years. In equal measures, I am immensely sad to be the last Leader of such a wonderful council. Notwithstanding, I am gratified to be able to present another balanced budget. Alongside my fellow political group leaders – Cllr Brian Smedley and Cllr Bill Revans – we have put together a joint budget, with suggestions from each political group.
This is not a budget of grand gestures, posturing or political point-scoring; rather more a budget that will continue to build on the past years of steady success that Sedgemoor has achieved through its prudent forward-thinking, financial management and commitment to maintaining services to the residents of Sedgemoor.
It provides exceptional ground-work for the new council and leaves ready to go projects in many areas – and a council in an excellent financial state. Yet again, there are no cuts to services and our good financial management allows us to provide additional funding for projects and services throughout the District of Sedgemoor.
Together, we have risen to that challenge and put in place measures so that our residents will not see a reduction in our commitment or service to them as well as providing additional funding for projects across the district. It is an inclusive budget, which will provide for the future Sedgemoor until March 2023.
To the detail then:- Firstly, we will be putting an additional £500,000 into work towards preparing for the new council. The amount of additional work that our staff are dealing with is immense, so this fund will allow for backfilling posts ensuring that services are maintained for our residents, but we are also taking a proactive role in shaping the new council.
Since 2015, we have been investing in our apprentice scheme supporting 55 young people. To date, we have invested over £1.5m for training and developing our apprentices, building a stronger workforce for challenges in local government. We will continue this work with an additional £20,000 being added to the significant funding already invested into this scheme.
As fully discussed at Executive a couple of weeks ago, I am pleased that we can invest over three-quarters of a million pounds (£775,000) into four community halls across the district. This will make sure that they continue to be the cornerstone of their communities; an invaluable and important part of neighbourhood life and are mostly run by hard-working volunteer committees.
In addition, we will be setting up a half a million pound (£500,000) fund for rural village or community halls. These halls will be able to apply for up to £50,000 per hall for capital/building works, as we know that they are a focal point/hub outside of our larger towns.
Whilst on the subject of community facilities, we are setting aside an additional £150,000 for playground equipment across the district, along with additional funding for ongoing maintenance. This will speed up the replacement of aging equipment with modern, brighter and more ‘play value’ for our younger residents.
At the request of Brean Parish Council, we will be taking over the management of Brean beach from the beginning of April. To make sure that we are fully staffed and equipped, £100,000 is being spent on items such as additional staff, beach vehicles, improvements to toilets and facilities. This will make sure that it is a well-managed, flexibly used and safe beach so that we can hand-over smoothly-run resorts to Somerset Council in April 2023.
We continue to support Citizens Advice with additional funding continuing for the second year to the tune of £180,000 to help them continue their excellent service to our residents in the form of money advice and Covid advice, this funding is in addition to the ongoing core grant.
Within Bridgwater, we will be investing £171,000. Specifically, £12,000 towards lighting for the YMCA skatepark, to allow the excellent facility to be enjoyed for more hours; £30,000 plus £50,000 CIL funds to the Meads Eco Park for the provision of a board walk to give all year access and support to the Parkrun route; £20,000 for Bridgwater Sports Project Bridgwater to be set aside for the development of a feasibility study in partnership with Bridgwater United FC to develop a new sports hub; children’s play area and dog walking area within Bristol Road Playing Fields; £20,000 to continue the excellent work of the Sydenham and Highbridge pantry projects; £20,000 to develop a feasibility study into the provision of a community facility in Bower and £19,000 towards a feasibility study into the future use of the Penel Orleiu Classic buildings.
Within other parts of Sedgemoor, we will be putting £50,000 into a Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge High Street task-force; £50,000 for a feasibility study for the Strawberry Line in Cheddar; £100,000 to fund ‘Changing Places’ toilets installed in Burnham and Cheddar which will complement the Changing Places facility which is being built into Northgate Yard. Finally, £50,000 for four all-terrain wheelchairs to make visitor attractions in Sedgemoor accessible.
And so to the Council tax – Our proposal is simple we are proposing to increase the Band D tax by £5 per annum.
This, I believe, delivers our commitment to maintain Sedgemoor’s portion of the council tax at an affordable level while providing a base from which to continue investing into new and exciting services in the future.
Chairman, Members of Council this concludes our budget proposals, which I commend to you for the forthcoming year.”
