How is PIP ensuring we get value for money from our Council Tax?
How your Castle Point Borough Council is run has a huge impact on the way residents experience the services we deliver. From top to bottom we are transforming CPBC. Our vision is simple. We want to create a modern Council characterised by a dedicated and motivated workforce which places residents and customers at the heart of everything it does. Across local government, councils are facing significant budgetary and operational challenges. Funding is down and many of our revenue streams have been adversely affected by the economic downturn. At the same time, the cost-of-living crisis is having an increasingly severe impact on residents’ lives and, as a result, demand for our services has never been higher. To meet this challenge, we are not simply shuffling things round, but undertaking a root and branch review of everything we do. We have already streamlined our top tiers of management and, with this in place, we are beginning to review each and every service we deliver with a clear focus on ensuring it meets your needs, now and into the future, in a cost-effective way. Where possible we will improve our service to residents but, above all else, we will ensure we preserve what you value. From our parks, open spaces and leisure services, to our support for our most vulnerable residents, transforming means protecting what you have told us you care about and maintaining strong communities across Castle Point.
These are the three pillars on which our commitment to residents rest. As a Council, we continue to invest in what makes a difference to our communities and protect the services that matter to you. At the same time, we are driving through changes to ensure the Council is efficient and meets resident’s needs. Against a backdrop of challenging local government finances, we have balanced the books while at the same time investing where it matters. We have targeted money where it makes a real difference to people’s lives and on what you said is important.
Over 70% of our council tax is paid to ECC, who have the responsibilities for education, highways, transport planning, passenger transport, social care, libraries, waste disposal and strategic planning. Around 15% goes to the Police Fire & Crime Commissioner. The remainder, 13%, flows to CPBC to provide services for housing, leisure and recreation, environmental health, waste collection, planning applications and local taxation collections.
The previous Conservative administrations wasted £££millions in failed Local Plans. In the last 20 years, the Conservatives could not agree and pass a Local Plan amongst themselves, let alone a plan that residents wanted. In February 2023 PIP Councillor Steve Mountford (Cabinet Member for Resources/Finances), brought forward the first Independent administration budget. This was a balanced budget with no cuts to services and with the council tax rise well below the rate of inflation.
Actions from the Independent administration have led to the council now being transformed from being officer led to councillor led, which means all important decisions will be voted on democratically by councillors. This not only means it is more resident responsive, it also allows a level of scrutiny as to where efficiencies and savings can be made.
In February 2023 following an examination by The Planning Inspectorate, approval has been given for a Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) to be implemented in Castle Point. This is basically a charge that local authorities can set on new developments in order to raise funds to help fund the infrastructure, facilities and services - such as schools or transport improvements - needed to support new homes and businesses. This should have been a priority many years ago.
When in 2022 the Independent administration was elected, we brought in the Local Government Association to do a top to bottom assessment of CPBC structure compared to best practices in other local councils nationwide. This has resulted in a significant overhaul and restructuring of the whole council. Major cost savings of around £475,000 per annum have been realised by reducing the number of highly paid senior officer director positions from 7 to 3, and by implementing a streamlined structure and way of working which will improve the council’s services. These improvements will make the council more accountable and transparent. An upgrade to the CPBC website is in progress which will allow more services to be accessible and reduce the number of phone calls residents need to make.
We are building new Council housing stock faster than at any time in the last decade. This means more people will have homes to call their own and is an important part of helping to tackle the waiting list for council owned accommodation. Nine homes are already under construction and funding for a further seven has been allocated. We are also looking at more possible sites to increase our council housing stock further in the coming years. The multi-million pound investment will see a range of three, two and one bed properties being built. They will be occupied by those currently in temporary accommodation. All the schemes have high environmental credentials, and each home has a dedicated Electric Vehicle charging point in one of their parking spaces. The developments have been funded through a mix of money from the sale of Council owned property under the Government’s Right To Buy Scheme, Council reserves, and loans.
We created the Public and Play Spaces Fund to help enrich recreation and open spaces in the Borough. We know these places and spaces are important to our residents and we want to improve your enjoyment of them. In January 2023, we committed to invest £140,000 in projects which focus on improving residents’ health, wellbeing and access to outside space. We have now committed to the following large and small local projects which will start to be implemented this autumn:
• Conversion of two tennis courts at JH Burrows into a Multi-Use Games Area - £50,000
• Upgrading of the remaining two tennis courts at the John H Burrows Ground - £10,000
• Additional lights for the Christmas tree at Hart Road - £1,000
• A disability accessible path at Thundersley Recreation Ground - £10,000
• A sensory garden to be situated at Richmond Park - £15,000
• A disability accessible path at Castle Point Community Allotment - £1,460
• Replacement of five “Little Libraries” as part of the Network of Little Libraries - £1,000.
• Money to help fund outdoor cricket practice nets at Hadleigh and Thundersley Cricket Club - £1,000 As well as these specific projects, up to £45,000 will be used to install up to 30 more picnic benches across the Borough within Council parks and open spaces.
From a multi-million pound investment in new housing stock, to much smaller amounts spent on things which make a big difference to our parks and open spaces, every penny is focused on making changes which make things better for residents.