ALTON residents will be paying more for local services from April 1 next year, but councillors are confident they will still be receiving "good value for money". Alton Town Council's (ATC) part of the council tax is to increase by 5.6 per cent. A small increase in housing growth coupled with a determination to maintain and improve existing services and to build up dwindling reserves has led to a decision by ATC's policy and resources committee to recommend a precept increase from £370,000 to £392,000 for the year 2007/08.. It will equate to an increase of £2.97 in Alton's part of the council tax resulting in a payment of £58.99 a year for an average Band 'D' household, or the equivalent of just £1.13 per household per week. "That's not bad for what we do for each household," pointed out Pam Bradford, who agreed with colleagues that householders in Alton were getting "good value for their money". In a report to the meeting, town clerk Steve Parkinson explained that the £392,000 figure had taken into account increased spending on grounds and building maintenance with the proposed recruitment midway through the year of an additional grounds person, and on the introduction of tree inspections, in the interests of health and safety. The budget, he said, had made no provision for any additional costs in relation to the Coors sports proposals and it had assumed that the replacement of the Kings Pond bungalows would proceed during 2007. The bungalow project would result in a reduced rent income and both projects would increase the need for professional services. The proposed transfer to reserves for 2007/ 08 had been reduced by £5,000 and the proposed precept increased by £2,000 compared to last year's projections to take account of these changes. The 2007/08 budget had also included £10,000 to cover election costs for May 2007. Mr Parkinson reminded the meeting that the council had put experimental arrangements in place for the management and marketing of the Assembly Rooms during 2006. These arrangements that would be reviewed early in 2007, prior to making a decision on the future management of the building. A number of items of work required on the building had been identified during the year and, as a result, a £110,000 scheme had been included in the budget for the refurbishment of the main hall in 2007 (to include the installation of tiered seating and stage lighting) using grants and capital receipts. It was agreed that urgent electrical and fire safety work should be carried out sooner in the interests of health and safety. A further £50,000 was to be allocated towards the rebuilding of the Finnimore Pavilion in Anstey Park - a project that would be largely funded by grants and developers contributions. This would leave ATC with capital receipts of £129,460 once these schemes had been completed. Taking all this into account, said Mr Parkinson, the projected figures, assuming a gradual increase in precept to cover housing growth and inflation, showed a capacity to build a reserve of £100,000 and increase services by the year 2010, without a major impact on the council tax payer. Councillors voted to approve the proposed budget and to recommend to full council a precept of £392,000 for the financial year 2007/08.
