Council approves Budget fit for future challenges

West Oxfordshire District Council has delivered a Budget “for the future” costing residents just £2 a week.

A meeting of the full Council confirmed council tax for 2020-21 will rise by £5 which is within Government guidelines.

It means the council’s charge for the average Band D property in the District will be £104.38 or £2 a week, making it the second lowest rate of council tax among shire councils in England.

The move was approved along with the Council’s Budget for 2020-21 at the meeting on Wednesday (26/2).

At the meeting, Cllr James Mills, Leader of West Oxfordshire District Council, stressed how almost 500 affordable homes had been delivered in the District in the last year and emphasised the continuing success of homelessness projects such as Our House which supports single under-35s who are in housing and employment need.

He also highlighted the recent opening of the £8.4m Phase Two of the Carterton Leisure Centre, improvements to waste and recycling services and the roll-out of high speed broadband to 5,000 properties with a further 5,000 planned for this year.

Grants to the community and voluntary sector will also be maintained at current levels along with free car parking, while new priorities such as tackling climate change will also receive investment.

Cllr Mills said: “We want to deliver the best possible facilities for residents, continue to meet housing need and support business investment in the District

“We will continue to modernise our services with our partners which allows us to obtain better value from our investments despite cost pressures from outside.”