Where does your money go?
Following the setting of the annual budget and making the decision to increase the precept on a Band ‘D’ property by £8 this year, we would like to show you how the money is spent.
The annual cost of running the Parish Council and continuing with all the services we offer is now just over £1.2 million a year. The majority of this money is raised through the parish precept, which is included in your annual council tax bill.
We receive a grant for costs towards landscape services, which is paid by Milton Keynes City Council (MKCC) and also raise money through interest on monies invested, allotment rents and any other grants that become available.
Scroll through the charts below for categorised expenditure. The largest portion of our expenditure is the Operational budget of £557,877, and this covers landscaping, play areas, allotments, bins and vehicle running costs.
The Community budget covers all the clubs and services inclusive of the weekly Community Larder and Community Fridge we now run. The cost of this is £137,741.
The Parish Council now owns eight community buildings and we are proud to say, that each of the buildings in mostly bring in enough money in room and pitch hire to cover their own expenses within the Facilities budget. The only extra costs are for management and caretaker fees, which are currently funded by the precept. The budget for this is £108,154.
This is only a short-term agreement, with the understanding that once all the buildings have been upgraded and are running at full capacity, no financial support will be required. The buildings are a great asset for the community, and we are working very hard to get them all to a high standard, and to maintain that standard once reached.
The Administration budget covers the cost of administrative staff, Councillors’ allowances, consultancy and support required to ensure the efficient administration. Financials is the budget for loan repayments, including the Parish Office and the new depot which will soon be under construction; the rest is money paid to the General Reserve account to ensure that the council remains financially secure. The final portion is Communication, covering the cost of the parish newsletter and the website.
We hope this gives you some useful insights into how the Parish Council spends the precept and, crucially, where your money goes. If you require any further information, please contact the Parish Manager on sharon.kerr@shenleybrookend-pc.gov.uk.
