There was good news for Tenby's council tax payers this week following Tenby Town Council's decision not to increase their precept requirement for the forthcoming year.
Although they had overspent by some £6,000 in the past year, new working practices and a better than expected year at the De Valence Pavilion had enabled clerk to the council, Mrs. Lynne Rees, to make cuts of over £18,000 on the council's precept requirement for 2001/2002, members were told on Tuesday night.
Last year, the council's budget was £125,718, with some £15,000 being drawn from reserves to bring the levy down to £109,868.
However, the budget savings proposed by Mrs. Rees slash the amount required to run the council by £18,190, making for a precept requirement of £107,528 this time around without any need to touch the reserves.
Taking members through the budget, Mrs. Rees proposed little change in the council's planning and general purposes account.
However, she did suggest a reduction of nearly £5,000 in the tourism budget.
"Last year we allowed £7,000, but have only spent £2,550," she said.
Mrs. Rees said that historically the figure spent had been around £2,000 and estimated that £2,200 would be sufficient.
Actual spending on the general purposes account had been some £5,500 less than the £75,124 projected and taking inflation and wage rises into acount, Mrs. Rees felt £72,691 would cover costs for the forthcoming year.
The council had also underspent on the De Valence Pavilion, outlaying just £89,000 as opposed to the expected £94,290.
Takings has also been nearly £4,000 up on what had been expected at £50,532, making the losses over the year £38,468, over £9,000 less than anticipated. This had enabled Mrs. Rees to cut the precept requirement for the De Valence by over £12,000 to £35,315.
While cutting most budgets, however, Mrs. Rees proposed an increase in the amount set aside for Christmas lighting of £2,000.
"We usually budget £10,000," she explained. "However, this is just the cost for having them put up, it makes no contingencies for replacements."
Biggest change in the budget was over the running of the town gardens, which last year, due to confusion over the contract with Pembrokeshire County Council had resulted in an overspend of £13,734.
Mrs. Rees said that, although she had had verbal indications as to the value of the new gardens contract from the county council - likely to be some £30,000 less than last year - she was still awaiting the 'definitive figure' and it had "taken a lot of juggling not to use up town council reserves."
The town council had introduced 'new working practices' to offset the budget cut from the county council which meant that they proposed no draw on the precept.
If councillors agreed to all Mrs. Rees proposals, it would mean a precept requirement £2,440 less than last year.
"You could make a cut in the council tax," she said.
However, Clr. Mrs. Caroline Thomas noted that that the proposals included little in the way of contingency funding.
"I think we should keep the rate as last," agreed Clr. Miss Lis James.
"The Band D council tax will be around £50, which may seem high, but it is not a lot for what we do," commented Clr. Mickey Folland, moving no change in the precept.
Councillors agreed, keeping this year's council tax Band D levy at £49.46.
The Mayor, Clr. Mrs. Maureen Ward, thanked Mrs. Rees for her hard work in preparing the budget.