Taunton Deane Borough Council
Budget Strategy 2004/05
There are many things that make Taunton Deane a great place to live and
work. We have a rich and varied inheritance of landscapes and natural
environment, a strong economy, thriving and distinctive towns and rural
communities, low levels of crime and unemployment and above average levels
of health. All of these things contribute to a quality of life that makes
Taunton Deane attractive to both visitors and residents.
We realise that there are many pressing challenges and opportunities
facing Taunton Deane over the coming years. We have listened to your major
concerns and aspirations and have focused our priorities around them.
The Council has six corporate priorities - Economy, Transport, Crime,
Health, Environment, and Delivery. We have decided to focus particular
effort on four key areas:
- Deliver the Vision for Taunton.
- Tackle Anti-Social Behaviour in our Communities.
- Work with the County Council and Others to Tackle Local Transport
Priorities.
- Housing.
More details on each of these priorities can be found on page 8 of this
booklet.
The fundamental aim for 2004/05 was to set a budget that kept the Council's
reserves at an acceptable level (to allow flexibility in funding key projects),
and the Council Tax increase at a minimum, whilst continuing to deliver
high quality, low cost services to the public.
The sound principles of medium term financial planning have been continued.
Our medium term financial plan clearly indicates that this Council has
an underlying budget problem. The Executive will consider a Financial
Strategy over the coming months that will help set a clear way forward
and allow this Council to deliver a sustainable financial plan in the
medium term.
The 2004/05 budget for Taunton Deane Borough Council, excluding Parish
Precepts and Taunton Special Expenses is just over £10.97m. Taking everything
into account, this Councils element of the Council Tax will be £116.63,
which is £7.12 (6.5%) higher than last year. This represents an extra
13.7p per week for the Band D taxpayer. Please remember that Taunton
Deane's budget represents only10.08% of the total Council Tax bill, the
remainder being made up by Somerset County Council, Avon and Somerset
Police Authority, and your local Parish Council.
The following graph shows how each £ of Council Tax raised by this Council
is spent: -
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