At a full Council meeting held on Tuesday 22 February, Councillor Paul Mason, Broxbourne’s Cabinet Member for Finance, announced the 2022/23 budget.
Although the Council is responsible for collecting council tax, it only keeps a very small percentage of the total amount collected. The amount collected is divided between Hertfordshire County Council (HCC), receiving 80.5% of the total bill and the Police and Crime Commissioner for Hertfordshire (PCC), receiving 11.7%. Broxbourne Borough Council retains only 7.8% making the actual value the Council will receive £ 148.24 a year after agreeing a modest increase of just £5 for a Band D property. Despite this increase, council tax in Broxbourne remains the lowest of English District Councils when Parish precepts are included.
The proposals outlined in the budget show a commitment to supporting local businesses and ensuring that the Council has the resources in place to deliver its priorities and support the local economy post-pandemic.
Earlier this month, the Cabinet approved the business case for the Brookfield Riverside and Brookfield Garden Village project. This is an ambitious scheme that will transform the Borough, making Broxbourne an even more attractive place in which to live, work and invest and will bring a wide range of benefits to the local economy. Included in the capital programme for 2022/23 is the budget required to deliver the relocations needed to facilitate these developments. This will be funded from the Council’s own resources, including the funds set aside in the Brookfield reserve.
The 2022/23 budget also features Broxbourne Council’s continued commitment to sustainability. A budget of £25,000 has been set aside to establish the actions required to achieve net zero emissions from the Council’s activities. This will build on the progress made over the last 12 months; electric charging points have been installed in five car parks across the Borough, and plans are in place to install the equipment in a further four. In addition, the Council’s fleet of pool cars has been upgraded to electric vehicles, and a Sustainability Officer has been appointed.
The coming year will see the Council celebrate Her Majesty the Queen’s historic platinum jubilee, marking the 70th anniversary of her ascension to the throne. A budget of £20,000 has been set aside to fund grants to put on street parties, to decorate town centres, and light several beacons in the Borough as part of a national celebration. A permanent memorial will also be sited at the entrance to Grundy Park as part of its planned transformation.
Councillor Mason said:
We will continue to support town centres as they recover from the impact of the pandemic but also to deliver our objective of them becoming vibrant locations for business and leisure. The 2022/23 budget demonstrates that we are an ambitious Council, looking for opportunities to make Broxbourne the best place to live and work.