Town council to consult on cuts proposals
Asking which services residents want to see saved should district council cuts go ahead
NEWBURY Town Council is consulting residents to see if they wish to pay for services that West Berkshire Council is proposing to close from next April.
The Conservative-controlled district council is looking to cut a range of services in Newbury – including CCTV cameras, public toilets at The Wharf and Pembroke Road and the Visitor Information Centre – in order to save £10.8m
It would cost the town council £108,000 to maintain the town’s 22 CCTV cameras, and around £35,0000 each year to pay for the toilets.
Council chief executive Hugh Peacocke said: “We are speaking to the district council, Newbury BID and the police about the CCTV cameras, to see we they could maybe retain 10 or 12 of them.
He added: “At the moment, they are monitored in Windsor, so we are also looking at different monitoring arrangements that will cost significantly less than the figures West Berkshire Council are quoting
“We are also speaking to the BID about keeping some kind of visitor information service in Newbury, while we are also looking into what we can do about the toilets.”
West Berkshire Council is proposing to discontinue each of these services with effect from April 2016 and the town council says it is now considering “all options” to try and save them.
The consultation sets out the issues involved as well as the extra cost for each household in Newbury, should the council decide to take over these services. The town council said that, if it were to take on the cost of the public toilets at The Wharf, it would cost each household in Newbury 5.5 pence per week, or £2.84 per annum.
Newbury Town Council leader Dave Goff said: “We welcome the views of all households in Newbury who pay our annual precept, as this will make us better informed when we prepare the town council budget for 2016-17 and beyond.
“These are tough decisions for the town council and it is important that we know how the people of Newbury feel about these services.”
The consultation is now live on the council’s website, and full details can be found at www. newbury.gov.uk
Paper copies are also available to complete at Newbury Town Hall, Market Place.
The consultation will close on Friday, December 4.