Penwortham Town Council

PENWORTHAM TOWN COUNCIL

NOTES FOR THE 2015 - 2016 ESTIMATES

1. WORKING BALANCE

The working balance is £80,000.00 and is retained for the following reasons:-

 An adequate working balance has to be retained by law.  Money has to be available to finance the Council for the period until the precept is received.  To provide for any unplanned expenditure or unexpected drop in income.  To finance V.A.T. payments until these are recovered.

2. LEVEL OF BALANCES

The balances held by Penwortham Town council have been highlighted for use on several projects, but they are entirely at the discretion of members of the council as to their exact use and can be changed if new and better uses for the funds are found.

The highlighted current projects include;-

 The extension of the Garden of Remembrance area at Hill Road Cemetery, now built but may need further footpath improvements  Further enhancements to the Woodland Burial Site  The possible provision of external facilities at Penwortham Community Centre,  The possible employment of further Penwortham Town Council staff … grounds maintenance, youth worker, events coordinator, etc according to the needs of the town  The possible refurbishment of bus shelters throughout Penwortham  The repairs to Penwortham Community Centre,  The possible delegation of services from both SRBC and LCC which could mean further staff or equipment  Improvements to the Penwortham War Memorial  Possible funding of local partner initiatives 3. NOTES ON ESTIMATES

Income The total estimated income for 2015/16 is increased from the estimated income for 2014/15 due to the expected increase in income from being able to let offices at Penwortham Community Centre Included in the income for 2014/15 is the grant received from Awards for All of £10,000 which has produced an APP/ACT income of £20,000 for “other income” against an estimate of £9,000. All other predicted incomes remain constant. Whilst the income from the cemetery for the 2014/15 year does appear to be greater than the estimated income for the same year, it cannot be taken that this increase in income will continue for the following year or indeed that the forecast increase may fail up during the remainder of 2014/15 The income from the cemetery is notoriously difficult to estimate and must be calculated over several years and not just the preceding year, thus the estimated income for the cemetery for 2015/16 is £60,000.00.

Expenditure Administration Overall estimated administration costs for 2015/16 are reduced by £10,000.00 against estimated costs for 2014/15.. The costs of the Community Worker have been removed as have the costs of the Parking Enforcement Officer. The estimated figure of £95,900.00 represents a saving in estimated administrative costs for 2014/15 but a slight increase in the app/act figure for 2014/15. Savings made during 2014/15 carried forward to 2015/16 represent an overall saving against estimate of around £10,000.00

Staff Costs Penwortham Community Centre staff costs remain constant with the employment of three part time (16 hours per week) staff. This is expected to remain during the 2015/16 fiscal year. The Town Lenghsman and cemetery staff are also a constant and expect to remain as such for the 2015/16 year. Office staff at the town council have now been a constant for the last eighteen months and expect to be so for the next financial year. There have been negotiations with regard salary increase for the public sector but as yet nothing has been agreed for the year in question. A 1% increase has been included in the estimates.

Cemetery The estimated overall expenditure at Hill Road Cemetery has been estimated as similar to the previous financial year in that no major works are planned at the cemetery that have not already been accounted for. The Town Council assisted with the management the Royal British Legion Remembrance Day parade during 2014 as a result of the police no longer taking responsibility for the road closures. The event passed off without incident with Penwortham Town Council working alongside South Ribble Borough Council and Ventbrook Traffic Management in co-ordinating the necessary road closures. The costs involved with the road closures has meant the cost to PTC have now risen to £2000, as reflected in the estimates for 2015/16 Community Centre The refurbishment of the toilets at Penwortham Community Centre has been included on the APP/ACT costs for 2014/15 with a further £10,000 being included for further refurbishments during the 2015/16 fiscal year. All other estimated costs for the running of Penwortham Community Centre remain at the same levels as the previous year. The Town Council have entered into a contract with a new energy supplier during the 2014/15 year which could see a saving in energy costs during the 2015/16 year.

4. PRECEPT

The setting of the precept for Penwortham Town Council 2015 – 2016 is entirely at the discretion of the elected members of the Town Council.

The estimates for 2015/16 to keep reserve funds at a similar level to 2014/15 suggest a precept of £127,740.00

If members wish to keep the precept the same as per the last years then savings of £140.00 will have to be made in the estimated expenditure.

The actual precept could be lowered and part of the reserves used to finance the running of the council during 2015/16. This reduction could be by any percentage the elected members so wish.

The precept could also be increased, should elected members wish, to allow for an increase in reserves for the following year or indeed to allow for payment of any specific project elected members may wish to embark upon, such as extension to the facilities at the community centre, further events in Penwortham, or any proposal made by elected members.

During 2014/15 a precept of £127600 related to a payment of £17.53 per band D property per annum which equates to around 33p per week. A precept exactly the same as the previous year would mean a Band D property paying £17.32 per annum for 2015/16

Estimated income for 2015/16 £ 89,510.00 Estimated expenditure for 2015/16 Administration £ 95,900.00 Cemetery £ 53,250.00 Community Centre £ 68,100.00 Total £217,250.00 Less income £ 89,510.00

Estimated expenditure for 2014 /15 £127,740.00

PENWORTHAM TOWN COUNCIL The Caring Council – Putting People First