Still time for Corby residents to have their say on what the town council spends its money on

There’s still time for Corby residents to have their say on what they think the town council should spend its money on.

A consultation exercise was launched last month (December 2023) to get views on Corby Town Council’s budget for this year.

The consultation is open until Friday, January 12.

They have already created a list of new suggested projects – but now need people’s ideas on what else the cash could go towards.

As a town council, there is more flexibility as to what they can operate within the town and they want this to be shaped by the people of Corby.

Chairman of the finance committee at Corby Town Council, Cllr Simon Rielly, said: “It’s important we get feedback from the people of Corby about the priorities we have outlined and the budget pressures we face. We ask that residents take part in the budget consultation and let us know their views.”

Corby Town Council’s services include, charities, events, and the mayoral role.

They do not have control of most council services, including potholes, bin collections, council housing, car parks and more, which are provided by North Northamptonshire Council (NNC).

To date the council has:

- Provided free to attend events in the town such as Corby's first ever Pride and Christmas market as well as the Spirit of Corby

- Provided grants to a wide-range of community groups in the town and worked alongside organisations who aim to improve the lives of the people of Corby

- Represented Corby in the context of the local area and on a national scale

- Continued the mayoral office which promotes civic pride and presence and raised money for the mayor's charities throughout the year

Corby Town Council serves approximately 57,000 people. The precept for Corby (i.e the proportion of council tax that is paid to the town council) is currently £27.41 for a Band D property which is currently one of the lowest in the county.

The town council plans to increase its budget and is asking how much extra per week would people be willing to spend per week - 10p a week (5.41 a year), 15p a week (£7.88 a year), or 19p a week (£9.74 a year). These figures are based on a Band 'D' property for council tax.

The council has a number of budget pressures which it is aware of and for which they need to plan. These are:

- Allotment sites for Corby which will mean investment and increased running costs

- Accommodation - they need to find an alternative office and community space from 2024

- Inflation costs which impacts all current outgoings such as business rates, IT, broadband and staff costs

- Increased attendance at their events as these become more widely known which means increased risk management costs

The consultation is open until January 12, 2024 and people can have their say via the council’s online form.

Paper copies are available in Corby Library in The Cube or from the Corby Town Council office.