Where is my money being spent?

Facts and Figures

 

Our budget for 2008/09 is £414,000 more than last year.  This is because:	£000
Inflation	875
Increase in government grant	-2522
Changes in Services	2402
Increase in income	-341
TOTAL	£414

 

Employees

This year we will employ 637 full time equivalent people to provide you with local services compared to 674 in 2007/2008.   

Where the money comes from!

Did you know that the money to pay for local services comes from:

Residents - 60%
Government - 11%
Business Rates - 29%

Only 12% of your Council Tax is used to pay for local services provided by Chester City Council, of the remaining 88%, Cheshire County Council takes 74% , Cheshire Fire takes 4%, and Cheshire Police takes 10%.

Capital Spending

Capital spending is money used to pay for big projects. In 2008/2009, new spending of £15.6 million is planned (£0.7 million on Blacon cemetery extension and renewal of cremators, £2.5million on waste collection and recycling,  £0.2 million on public conveniences, £0.8 million on open spaces and play provision, £1.7 million on the Town Hall, £2.3 million on property, £0.9 million on ICT, £0.2 million on car parks, £4.4 million on Housing grants/loans and affordable housign schemes.  £1.7 million on chester renaisaance - range of development/regeneration projects inlcuding improving the city walls and £0.2 million on other schemes.

Planned capital spending includes investment in:

• Blacon cemetery and renewal of cremators 
• Parks & open spaces 
• Property Reinvestment Programme 
• Implementing electronic government
• Transport schemes

Borrowing

At 31 March 2007 our borrowing stood at £3.95 million and was unchanged compared to 2006 and 2005.

     

Service areas	Our spending for 2008/2009 (estimated)
	budget - £000	2008/09 income - £000	spending - £000	2007/08 spending - £000
central services to public	9840	7459	2381	2422
cultural, environmental & planning	23967	7359	16608	16648
highways, roads, transport	5843	5940	(97)	(265)
housing services	27118	25090	2028	1680
corporate & democratic core	3734	115	3619	4122
non distributed costs	2239	1578	661	842
totals	72,741	47,541	25,200	25,449
trading undertakings, asset management accoutn & interest	(636)	4635	(1000)	(870)
contingencies	(1000)	0	(870)	(747)
money from reserves	35	597	(562)	(524)
money from balances	0	305	(305)	(344)
council budget	71140	53078	18062	17680
parish precept	470	0	470	438
budget requirement for year	71,610	53,078	18,532	18,118

 

How your council tax is calculated

Your Council Tax pays for services provided by Chester City Council, Cheshire County Council, Cheshire Fire  and Cheshire Police. Your bill is calculated as follows:  

	Chester City Council
	Our spending for the year:	£18,062,340
minus	government grants	£1,215,746
	business rates	£8,733,300
	collection fund surplus	£28,540
	Total needed:	£8,141,834
		or £68 per resident

	Cheshire County Council
	Our spending for the year:	£374,673,000
minus	government grants	£12,394,246
	business rates	£89,033,922
	collection fund surplus	£497,846
	Total needed from Cheshire:	£273,742,678
	Total needed from Chester:	£47,917,621
		or £400 per resident

	Cheshire Fire Authority
	Our spending for the year:	£40,747,949
minus	government grants	£2,129,386
	business rates	£15,296,417
	collection fund surplus	£70,460
	Total needed from Cheshire:	£23,251,686
	Total needed from Chester:	£2,897,233
		or £24 per resident

 

	Cheshire Police Authority
	Our spending for the year:	£168,058,000
minus	government grants	£70,219,870
	business rates	£47,366,623
	collection fund surplus	£136,298
	Total needed from Cheshire:	£50,335,209
	Total needed from Chester:	£6,271,926
		or £52 per resident

 

Totals
Total needed from Council Tax (a):	£65,228,614 or £544, per resident
Band D equivalent homes in Chester (b):	46,200.5
Council Tax for Band D (a/b):	£1,411.86
(NB This calculation excludes parish Council Taxes)

 

Environment Agency

Each region of the Environment Agency (EA) requires county councils within their area to pay a contribution towards the cost of draining surface water safely to the sea. The levies paid to the EA are included in the county council part of your bill. The following information relates to the North West EA Region receiving a levy from Cheshire County Council. The EA in Wales will be meeting expenses through grants awarded directly from the Welsh Assembly Government and will therefore not be raising a levy on the County Council.

 

	2008/09      £000's	2007/08 £000's
Gross Expenditure	45,519	49,194
Levy requirement	3,433	3,366
Total council tax base	2,258,644	2,243,452