brightlingseatowncouncil

Member with Special Responsibility for Youth and Amenity Areas & Allotments.  Also a Tendring District Councillor.

I am Brightlingsea born and bred, as is my wife Ann and our three children.

As a Brightlingsea Town Councillor I believe we should forge partnerships with local clubs and organisations to encourage them to maximise opportunities for the benefit of our community.

As a Tendring District Councillor I have, and will continue to fight for our share of funding from Tendring District Council.

To this end I am part of the Independent Group at Tendring.  This enables me to obtain a place on my preferred choice of Committee, which is the Corporate Management Committee.  The Corporate Management Committee is the most influential of the Overview & Scrutiny Committees and thereby I am able to do what is best for Brightlingsea without having to follow any specific Political Party line.

Tendring Report from Councillor Steady

Corporate Management Committee – 4th January 2012

I attended the above to scrutinise the TDC budget for 2012/2013, and below is just an example of the discussions that took place.

• TDC historically are a low Council tax authority.  Third lowest in Essex and below the Essex average i.e. £149.13 compared with £183.46.
• Due to economic situation savings of £4.4m have to be made by 2014/15.
• £1.576m was the target amount for 2012/2013, as of this moment in time that gap has been turned into a surplus of £1.203m.  Reviews are on-going so the picture is changing all the time.
• Different initiatives could change the amount of surplus i.e. free car parking from 3pm to 6pm from 1st April anticipated reduction in income of £100,000.
• 0.5% reduction in council tax for 2012/13.  This is the same as the reduction in 2011/12.  There were varying views on this policy, examples as follows:
“It’s the fairest way as all council tax payers will receive it”
“Could not the £38,000 be used to fund various schemes”
“The amount is not sufficient to make an impact across the whole district”
“In these days of cut backs is it not wrong to give money back especially when it only equates to approx. 78p per household per year”
“If the council tax is cut by 0.5% each year of the 4 year life of the council then the total of 2% is more impactful and meaningful”
“If you keep cutting the council tax when you have to increase it in further years you will have to raise it by an higher % to raise extra revenue when needed”

All councils who freeze council tax will get a government grant of £192,000, there is not a sliding scale so there is no increase in that sum for a decrease in council tax.

• Reserves as at April 2011 were £16.8m.  The estimated balance for March 2012 is £9.1m.  The reserves are made up of committed and un-committed funds.

• There were costs attributed to regeneration but it was not clear what had been achieved, i.e. value for money.
• Decision still to be made re the running of Leisure facilities.

I did request that the Finance and Asset Management Portfolio Holder, Peter Halliday, attend the meeting to explain the rational behind the cut in council tax, and also the Leader of the Council, Neil Stock, to explain if the current cabinet structure was robust enough to take the organisation forward.  Unfortunately I was in minority of one on both counts.

Martins Farm Recycling Centre
Discussions taking place re the feasibility of providing a recycling facility in Brightlingsea as Martins Farm closed on the 8th January 2012.

Email Graham.