Agenda item

To recommend to the Council a budget and precept for 2021/22 (report of the Acting Town Clerk enclosed)

The Acting Town Clerk advised that the Meeting of the Council on 27^th January 2021 was the final occasion at which the Council could agree its budget for the coming financial year and agree a precept upon West Northants Council. He further advised that, for the reasons explained in the previous item, it had not been  possible to provide the degree of itemised estimated income and expenditure for all budget heads which Councillors might usually expect to have before them as a number of key component decisions, not least relating to services to be transferred, were yet to be finalised. The draft budget was therefore very much a contingency budget to meet the deadline for setting a precept and at the same time provide adequate financial flexibility to enable the Town Council after the May elections to determine its own priorities. Although the Government had not applied referendum principles to town and parish council precepts for 2021/22, it had urged restraint and had advised that it could consider introducing such measures (which are more likely for the largest town councils) for future years.

The Borough Council had suggested a draft base budget for the Town Council, but it was this Council which had to make the final decision.

The net contingency budget of £1,775,500, based upon 36,401 equivalent Band D properties would result in a Council tax of  £48.78 at Band D or £32.52 (62p per week) at Band A (a typical town centre property).

This level of proposed council tax compared with other town and parish councils as follows:

Recommended:

1.                  To approve the draft budget in the sum of £1,775,500 as set out in the Appendix to these minutes and to agree a precept on West Northamptonshire Council for 2021/22 in that sum;

2.                  That, as a matter of priority, the new Town Clerk undertakes detailed reviews of all services which are transferred to enable the Council to consider any possible modifications and enhancements to those services.

3.                  That, subject to the inclusion of appropriate provision in the finally adopted budget, the Town Clerk be authorised to recruit and appoint the following support staff to commence duties on 1^st April 2021:

Administration Officer (full time)

Administration Assistant (part time)

Finance Officer (part time); and

4.                  That no expenditure be committed on the items in the budget marked with an * until the relevant committee has approved full details of how these contingency sums will be expended.

Appendix

Northampton Town Council Draft Contingency Budget 2021/22