Borough set to scrap discount parking scheme

Advantage Card reductions face the axe in council budget plan

Parking discounts for residents could be scrapped, the number of community wardens reduced and children’s services overhauled in the council’s proposed budget for the next financial year.

With an overspend of £3.7million projected for 2019/20, the council has produced a budget that seeks to make £6million savings in 2020/21.

If the proposals are voted through, residents will no longer get Advantage Card discounts at Royal Borough car parks.

Council leader Andrew Johnson (Con, Hurley and Walthams) said the budget was designed to ‘steer the council to a stable position’.

However, opposition figures have reacted angrily to the proposed savings.

Cllr Lynne Jones (OWRA, Old Windsor) said: “Residents should be furious at the way the Conservative administration has managed its finances.”

Parking discounts for Advantage Card holders could be scrapped, children’s services overhauled and the number of community wardens could be reduced as part of the council’s latest budget savings.

With an overspend of £3.7million projected for this financial year, a draft budget intended to provide nearly £6m in savings has been produced.

In the proposal, the cost of parking in council-owned car parks will be frozen, but the discount given to residents through the Advantage Card will be scrapped, saving the council £650,000 in the course of the year.

Residents who need onstreet parking will have to pay for a resident permit,

£50 a year for the first car and £70 for the second.

The number of community wardens across the borough will be reduced and ‘refocused’, saving £180,000.

Libraries will have their opening hours reduced, closing on Sundays and shutting at 5pm rather than 7pm on weekdays, saving the council £220,000.

An overhaul of how children’s services are delivered is expected to save £450,000 next year.

The council has plans to deliver all of its children’s services through two ‘family hubs’, and is holding a public consultation on the planned changes.

Arts centres The Old

Court in Windsor and Norden Farm in Maidenhead will receive a reduced annual grant from the council from September – The Old Court is down £17,000 and Norden Farm down £33,000.

If the budget proposals are voted through, council tax will rise by 1.99 per cent, and the adult social care precept will increase by two per cent, meaning the council tax bill for a Band D home in unparished areas of Windsor will go up from £1,339.65 to £1,391.90.

The council’s report on the budget says: “The Royal Borough faces considerable financial challenges, particularly increasing numbers and costs of supporting adults, vulnerable people and children in care.

“However, the council’s level of reserves are low which means that it has less time and potentially fewer options than others to bring its budget into balance.”

The report also states that ‘cost pressures’ are expected to be £11.7m, putting this down to previous spending decisions, increased pressure on adults and children’s services, and underachievement for income targets.

The first draft papers that have been released will be discussed at the Communities Overview and Scrutiny Panel on Tuesday, before being sent to cabinet on Thursday, February 6.

The full budget papers will be released at the end of February.