West Berkshire Council set for u-turn over parish funding

WEST Berkshire Council is to perform a u-turn over its decision not to transfer government funding to parishes - and has given them just two weeks to make adjustments to their precepts.
In December, the Conservative-controlled council voted in favour of not transferring some central Government grant money to the parishes as it did last year – saying it had not received clear clarification on what amount it was receiving from central government.
As a result, many parish councils decided to raise their precepts. However, this week the district council said it was now proposing to transfer a percentage of the funding and expect to make its final decision on March 4 .
West Berkshire Council’s Executive Member for Finance, Alan Law (Con) said: “When pressed at the December meeting I made it clear we would have the option to revisit the decision.
“Now calculations have been completed, I’m pleased to say we should be able to transfer some funding.”
The district council has now emailed and written to parishes informing them of its proposals – and suggested the parishes may now want to consider adjusting their precepts accordingly.
Any parish council wishing to make an adjustment has two weeks to do so to meet the February 18 deadline.
When asked if that was enough time for parishes to make a decision, Mr Laws said: “It is a one item discussion. They have been told how much money they are going to get.
“It is a very simple calculation and one I could do in my head in 30 seconds. They need to hold a special council meeting and reset the precept if they desire."
For the full story and reaction, pick up a copy of the Newbury Weekly News on Thursday.