Upton Village

South Oxfordshire

Village Consultation & Communication

Meeting in the village hall on Thursday 15th December at 7:00 pm.

Upton Parish Council will set its budget in December and wants to communicate the choices
it faces and to seek the views of villagers regarding their priorities.
Our income is primarily the parish precept which is a small proportion of the council tax
levied on every household. In addition we may have donations, grants (where available) and
VAT reclaims. Last year the Parish Council substantially increased the precept as it had been
largely unchanged for some years. The 2022-23 precept was £24,326, which equates to
£108 p.a. for a band D property.
In round numbers, our income from all sources for 2022 was £30,000. Of this £11,500 was
used to cover fixed costs such as insurance, salaries, audits, subscriptions, IT etc. However,
the largest expenses the Parish Council incurs is the provision, inspection and maintenance
of the playground equipment at £13,000 and the maintenance of the recreation grounds
and village pathways at £5,500.
Our fixed costs will increase in 2023 by £5000 as we must take on a trainee clerk to ensure
that there will be someone in post who is qualified when the current clerk retires. Also we
have to pay for the emptying of waste bins on the rec as Biffa do not collect off-road. In
2023 we plan to employ contractors to maintain the grounds and pathways. Whilst we are
grateful to the volunteers who have been looking after some aspects up to now, the more
onerous tasks have, perhaps understandably, been neglected. For example the footpath to
Chilton and the cemetery extension are unacceptably overgrown. Whilst there is an increase
in costs resulting from this decision, there are savings too as we will not have to provide our
own equipment, fuel and insurance. It will cost us £5500 to bring things up to scratch and
for the ongoing maintenance for the year.
The play equipment is nearing the end of its life and therefore in need of more stringent
inspections by a third party and more repairs to ensure its continuing safety. We estimate
this will cost us £9000 in 2023 but we also need to put aside a reserve for replacement or
accept that when it is no longer repairable it is taken out of service. Upton’s play equipment
is well used both by visitors from outside the village and by residents’ children and
grandchildren. We welcome this wider use but recognise that it is only Upton villagers that
have to bear the costs.
Summary 2023:

Fixed costs
Maintenance cost
Play equipment
Total 		£16,500
£5,500
£9,000
£31,000

Without an increase in the precept even this expenditure would mean the council drawing
on its limited reserves.
There are major projects to be done too. There is a legal requirement to provide a stockproof fence at the field boundary of the rec and, because of the visitor influx, parking at the
recreation ground is inadequate and the overflow area requires work. Money needs to be
put aside for these items and for replacement of the play equipment when it is beyond
repair; they could be delayed but the longer things are left, the more they will cost.
As with current household budgets we need to make difficult choices, the big questions are:
Should we increase the precept by, say, the current rate of inflation or even more to enable
us to maintain the current services? (N.B. 15% increase would be just £1.35 additional
monthly cost for a band D property).
Do we remove rather than replace end-of-life play equipment?
Do we reserve funds for major projects with a consequently larger increase in the precept?
The Parish Council will make these decisions but would like to know the views of villagers as
it is your money we are responsible for spending. Please come to a meeting in the village
hall on Thursday 15th December at 7:00 pm to give your input or contact the parish clerk at
parish.clerk@uptonvillage.co.uk if you cannot make it in person.