Many comments during the election campaign and at the last Full Council meeting about the state of the Council’s finances failed to recognise that we are emerging from a national health emergency in which lockdowns significantly impacted on the Council’s main source of income from fees and charges for Council services.
The true position is that the Council’s draft accounts for the year to 31st March 2022 show a small revenue surplus was achieved in that year. At the year end the Council had no borrowings, cash reserves of £32 million and £132 million of mainly property assets, an increase of £7 million in the year. The External Auditor’s value for money report concluded that the actions taken during the pandemic placed the Council in a strong financial position.
When presenting the budget back in February, we considered we needed to see how the Council’s income recovered before making significant financial decisions. Income is recovering – in April and May car park revenue exceeded the budget forecast by over £50k. We all want to see increased footfall in the town centre and since its opening the Amelia Scott is attracting an average of 925 visitors a day. The increased revenue already being generated together with the Council’s share of new business rates I expect will cover any revenue shortfall in the current financial year. In the following year the plans for co-working in the Town Hall will also significantly improve the Council’s financial position – that was also not mentioned when Ben Chapelard spoke about the medium-term financial position at Full Council.
The inconvenient truth for the Cabinet is that the Council’s finances are not in a mess and presenting an emergency budget is simply showboating. Growing inflationary pressures should be addressed as part of the continuing financial management of the Council and the well-trodden processes for preparing and consulting on a budget for 2023-24. Raising charges that will discourage visitors and adversely affect business is straightforwardly a mistake.
Despite your Borough Partnership's commitment to being open and consultative, I do not detect any evidence of consultation on car parking charges with residents or businesses or with affected parishes like Southborough or Paddock Wood. It seems your proposal to introduce charges in Dunloran was not even mentioned to the Friends of Dunloran.
Most insensitively, however, you seem to have overlooked that many household budgets are now being squeezed by the cost-of-living crisis. Your proposal will add to that quite unnecessarily. The Conservative Group will vigorously oppose you adding to the cost-of-living pressures on residents.
Cllr Tom Dawlings
Conservative Group Leader - TWBC
