Parish and town councillors had the chance to put across their views and were asked to help put together a rural action plan at a parish conference yesterday (10 May) organised by St Edmundsbury Borough Council.
The conference was also an opportunity for parish and town councillors to comment on St Edmundsbury's proposals to change the way it allocates grants to the rural and urban areas. The Policy Development Committee is currently considering ways of making the parish and town council revenue support grant system easier to understand and fairer - small villages need to raise much higher local precepts that those areas with a larger tax base. Towns such as Bury St Edmunds and Haverhill, for example, can raise substantial amounts of revenue for leisure activities or play equipment while villages, with much smaller populations, currently have to put their Council Tax precepts up much higher to cover the same costs.
Around half of St Edmundsbury's population lives in the rural areas and one of the Cabinet's priorities is to sustain the rural communities through better access to services, transport initiatives and better leisure and sport facilities. Parish councils have also made clear that they believe affordable housing in the villages is also a top priority.
At yesterday's meeting in the Athenaeum, councillors were asked to take part in the consultation process which will identify a number of actions under the themes of housing need, rural economy, countryside management, community planning, transport and services to young people. A number of proposed actions were put forward, such as a housing needs survey focused on the rural areas, an audit of village shops and post offices to see where help may be needed, encouraging small business growth and tourist facilities and providing youth activities.
This was the second parish conference organised by St Edmundsbury and comments from it will be included with other consultation and considered by the Rural Services Review Panel and the Policy Development Committee.
Council Leader, Cllr John Griffiths, said the conference emphasised the borough council's commitment to the rural areas.
"At the first parish conference we heard that affordable housing was a top priority, so I am delighted that St Edmundsbury will have £8.5million being spent on affordable housing over the next year throughout the borough, including the villages. That is just the beginning - the Cabinet has a firm commitment to our rural areas and listening to our parish councillors will ensure we deliver what is best for their communities."
ENDS
Note: Three parish and town council revenue support grant options are being considered, as set out in Paper U566, Policy Development Committee, 28 April 2004. In summary they are:
1) Stop giving grants to parish and town councils;
2) Have a fixed budget scheme which excludes towns and parishes with a high tax base and helps to fund expenditure in parishes, including administration costs; or
3) Similar to the above, but with no funding for administration costs.
Option 1 is the situation with many local authorities - St Edmundsbury is unusual in that it still gives revenue support grants to town and parish councils.
Option 2 helps parishes with administration costs but also rewards those which are active in providing additional services and facilities in their areas.
Option 3 would support core parish services, but not administration costs.
In both Option 2 and 3 the grant to aHHaverhHaverhill Town Council would be phased out over two years to reduce the impact on Council Tax payers.
Contacts:
Rural Services Review Panel Chairman: Cllr Helen Levack. Tel: 01284 728589
Parish Grant Review, Cabinet member for Resources: Cllr Sara Mildmay-White. Tel: 01359 270580
Group leaders:
Cllr John Griffiths, Conservative. Tel: 01359 268881
Cllr Sheila Wormleighton, Labour. Tel: 01284 761907
Cllr Allan Jones, Liberal Democrat. Tel: 01284 756415
Cllr Mike Ames, Independent. Tel: 01284 701238
ISSUED BY MARIANNE HULLAND, COMMUNICATIONS UNIT, ST EDMUNDSBURY BOROUGH COUNCIL. Tel: 01284 757034. Email: marianne.hulland@stedsbc.gov.uk
