Midsomer Norton Town Council's Finance and Operations Committee met tonight (Tuesday, 31st October) to consider the first draft of the Annual Town Council Budget for 2024-2025; changing and outlining figures.

The Finance and Operations Committee is made up of five Councillors; Martyn Plant (Chairman), Lynda Robertson, Gordon Mackay (Mayor), Shaun Hughes and Charlotte Lucas, who met to discuss the first budget set by themselves, the new Council, elected in May this year.

The budget is set by Councillors and determines the amount the precept (Council Tax) charged to residents of Midsomer Norton. The Annual Town Council Budget discussion is detrimental in setting spending commitments throughout the following year.

In attendance to the Annual Town Council Budget for 2024-2025 meeting were Councillors Shaun Hughes, Lynda Robertson, Martyn Plant and Gordon Mackay, as well as Admin Officer Jo Corbett and Deputy Clerk Kate Egan.

Shaun Hughes suggested looking into the big ticket items and how much they are going to cost the Town Council: "Where are our main costs going to be?"

"We can't create a budget without understanding who is responsible for the actual cost factors (referring to the overhead costs for the Town Hall and Somer Centre). We have a lot of grey areas that we need to research and come back to."

*"Lets not forget, this isn't our money, it's public money. I think we should be a bit more reserved with the section of grants."

*Gordon Mackay suggested it would not be necessarily prudent to lower the Loan Charges Town Hall Renovation PWLB budget, as stated in the draft for next year.

Changes from 2023/2024 to 2024/2025

  • Precept (income) budget for 2023/2024 was £468,190, next year (2024/2025) the budget will be £518,549
  • Warden support budget for 2023/2024 was £15,650. It was taken out for next year's budget (2024/2025)
  • Misc staff costs, taken out of the budget
  • Cleaning, sanitation, hygiene - nothing spent over the past two years, taken out of the budget
  • Insurance budget for next year (2024/2025) the budget will be £14,000 (Town Hall, land, public liability, employer's liability, asset lists). Last year (2022/2023) was £7,277.
  • IT & Hardware budget for 2023/2024 was £5,500, next year (2024/2025) the budget will be £9,020 (2022/2023 budget was £4,000)
  • Primrose Gardens (grass cutting of Midsomer Norton Town Council's owned land; Town Environment, Town Park, Allotments, Wellowbrook and West Clewes Rec Ground) quoted £10,000 a year
  • Legal fees budget for 2023/2024 was £500, next year (2024/2025) the budget will be £5,000
  • *Grants budget for 2023/2024 was £19,000 (6 months in, already spent £12,222), next year (2024/2025) the budget will be £25,000
  • *Loan Charges Town Hall Renovation PWLB (Public Works Loan Board) budget for 2023/2024 was £48,904, next year (2024/2025) the budget will be £44,577
  • CP MSN Town Hall next year (2024/2025) the budget will be £50,000
  • Somer Valley Rediscovered (three year) project next year (2024/2025) the budget will be £5,000

Town Hall project total cost is £1,410,767.00, funding from B&NES is £978,455.98, the rest to be covered by the Town Council is £432,311.02. At the beginning of August £99,503.00 had been spent, leaving £18,310.00 budget but it is estimated another £148,000 (roughly as did not catch the exact figure) needed.

Precept: 2023/2024 £2,118.08 for 221 houses, increase of 5% from the previous year. An average Band D household pays £2.21 per week (That’s based on an annual Precept of £115.04 for a Band D Property), more information can be found here. Discussions focused around what figure would be set for next year (2024/2025).

Question asked:

  1. Who will pay for the overheads/operating costs for the Town Hall and the Somer Centre (which comes back into the Town Council's control next year, is currently paid for by the Community Association) aka the water bills/electric bills etc. Is it the Community Trust, Town Trust, Recreational Trust or Midsomer Norton Town Council?
  2. Are there unexpected liabilities moving to Somer Centre next year?
  3. Gordon asked for the Town Council to look into sponsorship for Council owned grounds etc

Concerns around certain big expenditures were highlighted, including Trust and insurance costs.

The current Budget draft for 2024/2025 is £523,799 (2023/2024 was £475,240 and can be found here)

The current Precept draft for 2024/2025 is £519,449 (2023/2024 was £468,190)

The budget was not agreed at this meeting, more is needed to be discussed.

The Finance and Operation Committee's next meeting is 16th November 2023

The Town Council must agree the budget by the beginning of January.