How We Spend Your Money
The Parish Council raises revenue to meet spending requirements by issuing a ‘Precept’. This is an amount raised through the Council Tax from all the dwellings within the Parish area. The ‘Precept’ is converted into an amount per Council Tax Band that is added to the Council Tax bill of each residence.
Revenue
The precept is the major source of income for the council. The amount sought in 2020/21 was £[ ] resulting in a precept of £[ ] for a Band D residence within Calne Without.
There are currently two additional sources of revenue for the council to support the provision of services and infrastructure for the community: the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) and the Sun Edison Fund.
CIL is a tax levied on developments within the Parish, a proportion of which is paid to the Parish Council. There are specific rules attaching to the use of these funds which require them to be used to provide infrastructure and associated improvements that the Council considers will ‘support the development and improvement of the area affected by the development’.
CIL receipts for Calne Without Parish Council have been some £[ ]; the balance at the beginning of 2021 was £[ ] . The funds have to be spent or committed within 5 years of receipt in our case this is 2023.
The Sun Edison Fund arose from a donation of some £ [ ] given to the Parish by the Sun Edison renewable energy company when it developed and built a solar farm at High Penn in the east of the Parish. This has been used to provide grants for a number of different projects within the community and the balance at the beginning of 2021 was some £[ ]. There is no time limit placed on the consumption of these funds.
Expenditure
The Precept covers the Councils running costs and provides for projected projects and improvements to community services. Increasingly the precept is expected to fund services no longer provided or fully supported by Wiltshire Council.
The chart below shows projected expenditure for 2020/21.
The budget includes specific provision for a number of projects to either be delivered or evaluated. The COVID pandemic has resulted in a pause in many of the council’s activities but projects identified include: a Road Safety audit and provision for implementation of associated recommendations where feasible; aesthetic improvements to some village gateways through provision of planters; increased pathway and verge maintenance; investigation into the provision of playground and equipment at Petty Acre Derry Hill and investigating potential broadband and mobile reception improvements. Projects recently delivered include Gateways and a Bus Shelter for Stockley.
The CIL and Sun Edison Funds are aimed at improving the community and services and the council is always anxious to listen to and consider proposals from the community about how these funds might be spent. The Council has a well-defined process for considering requests for funding and the details of the requirements and assessment criteria. Your councillor should be able to provide with further information and support as necessary.
Sun Edison
Sun Edison Fund, this is a donation given to the Parish Council by the Sun Edison renewable energy company when it built the solar farm at High Penn in the east of the Parish and has been used to provide grants for a number of different projects.
The Sun Edison Fund has been used to support the provision of Defibrillators at Derry Hill Studley and Stockley, grants towards the refurbishment of the Studley Methodist Church, a bus for the Kingstone House Care home, 1st Derry Hill Scout Hut refurbishment, a donation to Calne Tennis Club, Parish Council noticeboards for Lower Compton and Stockley, benches for the Stephen Cox Garden Trust and a storage container for the Stockley and Heddington Amateur Dramatic Society.
Community Infrastructure Levy
Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), a tax on development within the Parish part of which is paid to the Parish Council, the CIL funds can be used to provide infrastructure and anything else which the Council considers will “support the development of the area”.