On Wednesday 14 February Vale of White Horse District Council agreed its 2018/19 budget, including £750,000 over the next three years for a new flagship team to improve the look of public areas across the Vale and deliver an attractive district that residents and businesses can be proud of.
More than £200,000 is being made available in grants to support community projects, such as improvements to village halls, community festivals and for charities which provide services for vulnerable people.
With the growing number of electrical vehicles on the road £20,000 will go towards a feasibility study into the possibility of providing charging points at district council locations, while £60,000 over the next two years will be used to explore the options for the existing Wantage Leisure Centre once the new leisure facility is open at Mably Way.
Thanks to careful financial management, council tax for the services provided by the Vale will be set at £126.69 for the year for a Band D property. This represents just a £5 increase on last year.
Cllr Robert Sharp, Cabinet Member for Finance at Vale of White Horse District Council, said: “In this year’s budget we have allocated substantial funding for a new team to help us address the environment issues such as tackling fly-tipping, removing graffiti, grass cutting and street cleansing, as well to looking at how we can better cater for the increase in electric vehicles in the district.”
“Our services represent excellent value for money and we will continue to put the needs of our residents first.”
Cllr Matthew Barber, Leader of Vale of White Horse District Council, said: “Our new action team will work alongside town and parish councils to ensure that everyone can benefit from the beautiful environment we are blessed with in the Vale. We are proud of our district and we want to ensure that residents and visitors are proud of the places they live and visit as well.”
