At a Full Council Meeting on the 15th January 2019 Haydon Wick Parish Council voted to set the Precept for 2019/20 at ÂŁ83.67 per annum, for a Band D property. This is an increase of ÂŁ21.08 on the 2018/19 rate. This amount is paid monthly via Swindon Borough Council tax collections and it is not a separate payment.
A number of external factors were responsible for some of the increase; the loss of Swindon Borough Council transitional funding for grounds maintenance, a reduction of the Council Tax Support Grant and the upcoming elections in May accounted for approximately ÂŁ8 of the increase.
The remaining ÂŁ13 was due the Parish Council’s continued commitment to invest in their parks and open spaces, with projects in the pipeline to upgrade a local MUGA (multi use games arena) and a skate park, as well as the continued development of land at Tadpole Lane to provide an accessible community space, for use by local residents. The Council is also continuing to invest in its staff, to improve the quality of the services it delivers.
At ÂŁ83.67 a Band D property is paying just 23p a day, for all the services provided. Or put another way a Band D property gets 2.4 days of service for the cost of a 2nd Class Stamp (56p).
For residents of the Parish, the budget plus a detailed explanation will be in the Haydon Wick Living magazine being delivered in March – this will also be available on the website.
The Parish Council has a population of approximately 21,500 with 17,309 electors. The Council is served by 18 councillors who represent residents from the Haydon Wick and Haydon End wards in Swindon, Wiltshire. The aim of the Council is to ensure the Parish is a desirable place to live, work and visit, that is clean, green, safe and prosperous. Most importantly, for the residents of the parish to live in a place they are proud of.
The Council successfully engages with the community with a popular grant giving programme, the Christmas parcel scheme, and Haydon Wick Living magazine is published and distributed three times a year. At its offices, the Parish Council also has two meeting spaces for hire to groups and businesses.
The Council provides a community bus service, has three allotment sites and is very proud to maintain 24 play parks it adopted from Swindon Borough Council – all of which are on a rolling refurbishment programme to ensure they remain vibrant and welcoming for all the community to enjoy.
The Council is also responsible for maintaining all public areas in the parish including King George Playing Field, Trent Road and Clary Road Field. It is tasked with hedge cutting, tree and shrub pruning, cleaning pavements, bus shelters and all seating. The Parks and Open Spaces Team (POST) is committed to keeping the parish tidy by emptying over 300 dog and litter bins, removing graffiti, dealing with fly tipping and cleaning alleyways and pavements.