Saving for a rainy day puts West Berkshire's accounts in good order

West Berkshire Council says it is balancing its books – despite the pandemic and inflation.

It says it has some healthy reserves in the bank, which have allowed it to manage the impact of inflation and higher energy bills.

Last year (2021/22) the council had a budget of £142m to spend on services and a further £43m on capital projects.

The financial performance goes before councillors at the next executive meeting on June 9.

“As the impact of inflation becomes clearer, so will the benefits of a well-managed budget,” said Ross Mackinnon (Con, Bradfield),West Berkshire’s executive member for finance and economic development.

“Having reserves in place means we can continue to protect our most vulnerable residents. This is our priority, and the £150 of locally funded support to those households of working age who receive the Council Tax Reduction Scheme highlights this.”

The council has earmarked £52m of investment for new and improved educational facilities across the district, £12m for leisure facilities and more than £80m to improve local infrastructure.

These include:

£8m of building work at Highwood Copse Primary School on the Newbury College campus and a £1.6m investment for remodelling of the Parsons Down Partnership of Schools in Thatcham.

A further £1.8m is being spent on new equipment and services for children with special educational needs. This includes the recently refurbished Keevill Unit, a learning space for children with physical disabilities which is part of an £860,000 council funded transformation at Speenhamland School in Newbury.

And £3m will be spent in the coming years to protect 200 homes in Thatcham from flooding.