Press Release: Horley Town Council - Precept for 2020/21
On behalf of Horley Town Council, I would like to announce that the Precept for 2020/2021 has been set at a total net figure of £404,676. This means that the Town element of Council Tax will be an average annual amount of £39.71 per household, representing an annual increase of £1.84 per Band D property (+ 4.85%). This figure is below the Surrey average for Town and Parish Councils.
The Town Council remains fully committed to delivering all its services and pursuing an extensive programme of enhancements and new projects. These will include continued improvements to our parks and playgrounds, some of which have been completed or are in the course of being implemented. The new Café construction, toilets and associated external works at Horley Recreation Ground are now well underway with an operator having been appointed and we anticipate it will be open by the Spring. All the safety surfacing at the Horley Recreation Ground Playground has been replaced within the past year by Southern Landscape and Construction Ltd, working in partnership with DCM Surfaces. The Town Council is also proceeding with a tender programme for the full refurbishment of the Tennis Courts at Horley Recreation Ground, which will also enable free community tennis initiatives to take place. We aim to complete this project within the current financial year, for a large part using our current Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funds.
The Town Council will continue to support St Bartholomew’s New Churchyard and has made provision for a sum of up to £6,550 towards its grounds maintenance, subject to the approval of a grant application from the Church.
The CCTV upgrade programme at our parks is being progressed in consultation with security provider experts and Surrey Police. The new high definition cameras at Horley Recreation Ground are now installed and linked to Reigate Police Station and extra surveillance will be provided around the new Café building and the car park. The CCTV surveillance system at Court Lodge Fields (including the Innes Pavilion) will also be upgraded in the coming financial year. The Town Council will continue to implement regular patrols in all its parks for extra security and public safety, as well as pursuing other crime prevention measures, following recent site meetings with the Crime Reduction Officer.
The Council is delighted to be in a position to again make provision for superb floral displays around the town for the benefit of residents and visitors. We are in particular looking forward to being able to enhance the newly upgraded Pedestrian Precinct this year. We are very grateful to those Borough and County Councillors who continue to use their Community Awards Schemes to contribute generous funding for this and other projects, in particular to County Cllr Kay Hammond who continues to support the flower planters at Horley Row and Court Lodge. We would also like to extend a note of thanks to the many local groups and businesses for their continued support in the community through sponsorship. The Horley in Bloom Competitions will continue free of charge for local residents and the Town Council will of course provide the town centre Christmas Tree.
The Town Council will continue to seek funding from appropriate bodies and will have additional earmarked funds for ongoing grounds and playgrounds improvements, together with new projects in the future. Detailed information on the budget will be made available on our website or from the Town Council offices.
Horley Town Council remains committed to delivering and enhancing facilities as well as setting out key objectives, based upon what matters most to Horley residents.
On a final note, on behalf of our members, I would like to invite all Horley residents to sign up to our free monthly eNewsletter from the home page of our website to be kept regularly informed about Horley Town Council’s business and community activities. Thank you.
Cllr Helen Kitajewski, Chairman Finance & General Purposes Committee 10 December 2019
