Budget
Every financial year the Council creates a budget for that year’s spending. The budget is split into the following categories:
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| Office | Clerk’s Salary & Pension Office Services (Electricity, Water, Phone, Alarm etc) Maintenance & Equipment |
| Administration | Postage & Stationary Reference Books & Training Meeting Room Hire Website Insurance |
| Subscriptions | Subscriptions to bodies that assist Parish Councils |
| Community | Grants Remembrance Day Wreath Grit Bins Library Grant |
| Environment | Street Lighting Waste/Litter/Dog Bin Collections Street Furniture Hedge & Grass Cutting & Maintenance Play Area Inspections & Maintenance Wildlife Allotment Garden Ash Dieback Fund |
| Neighbourhood Development Plan | Funding the creation of the NDP document |
| Contingency | An allowance for unforeseen spending |
The current allowances for each budget category are as follows:
| 2022/2023 | Budget Allocation | Change from 2021/2022 |
|---|---|---|
| Office | £24,661 | +11.3% |
| Administration | £4,720 | -1.6% |
| Subscriptions | £1,348 | +0.4% |
| Community | £4,350 | +1.2% |
| Environment | £20,540.36 | +15.3% |
| Neighbourhood Development Plan | £5,000 | 0% |
| Contingency | £2,000 | +10.6% |
| Contribution to Reserves | £3,661.16 | +14.4% |
| £66,280.52 | +9.7% |
Explanation of budget changes – 2022/2023
| Cost Centre | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Office | Increases in staff costs Budget allocated to replace office computer Increased electricity costs |
| Administration | Savings in postage and stationary costs due to increased use of technology |
| Subscriptions | – |
| Community | Slight increase due to cost of Parish Christmas Tree |
| Environment | Increased street lighting costs Funding replacement dog bins Increased grass cutting costs Significant funding increase for improvements in the Wildlife Allotment Garden Creation of an Ash Dieback Fund for CAPC owned trees |
| Neighbourhood Development Plan | – |
| Contingency | Increased uncertainty in costs due to rising inflation |
| Contribution to Reserves | Council decided it required a higher amount of reserves to fund future unexpected spending |
Funding
Funding for the budget comes from:
- Income from Council Charges
- Council Tax Parish Precept
- Unspent monies from the previous year’s budget
For 2022/2023 the Cold Ash Parish Council Precept is £51,000
Annual Return
Every year the Council’s finances are audited by our internal auditor and by a Government appointed external auditor. The Council’s annual returns are published here every year.
Notice confirming the dates when Parishioners can exercise their rights to examine the accounts.
Community Infrastructure Levy
Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) is a levy charged on most new development within an authority area. The money is used to pay for new infrastructure supporting the development of an area by funding the provision, replacement, operation or maintenance of infrastructure.
While most of the levy is allocated to West Berkshire Council a percentage is allocated to the Parish Council to spend in the Parish.
The Parish Council has to publish on its website how it spends this money and this information can be found below.