Revenue collected is £11m up on last year
IN response to the letter in the Telegraph (July 4) about how much tax is collected by the council. As mentioned, the revenues team collected 95.84 per cent of council tax in the financial year up to March 2017, while business rates collection for the same period was 97.84 per cent. In the previous year, 95.79 per cent of council tax was collected while 97.84 per cent of business rates were collected. Up to March 2017, £125.2m was collected through council tax compared to £115.2m up to March 2016. Business rates collections were the same percentage as the previous year. This amounted to £122.7m compared to £120.9m the year before. So altogether the amount brought in by the council is more than £11m up on the previous year. It’s always important to work hard to maximise revenue collections especially at a time when the national government is reducing the amount of funding it provides to local authorities. We need to keep improving so that we can manage our finances as effectively as possible.
Community event fun
AT the Pop Up Café organised by the local Neighbourhood Police on Finham Green last Saturday, the community and police came together in a fun occasion for all the family, with craft and food stalls, henna artists and local fire and rescue services giving demonstrations.
During the Pop Up Café event there was a presentation of a cheque to Tony Swann, Finham Neighbourhood Watch area coordinator, by Gareth FowlerSimons of Lakeside Landscape Groundwork Specialists.
Tony has worked hard to increase the number of Neighbourhood Watch groups in the Finham area in the last six months and the funds donated by Gareth will pay for the Neighbourhood Watch street signs in the area.
In attendance for the presentation were Sgt Johanna Comer and PC Neil McCormack from the local police team who have worked hard with support from the NHW groups to successfully bring down the crime figures that were causing such concern earlier in the year.