RBWM Draft Budget - Could Cut Back on Discounts and Grants

Parking discounts for Advantage Card holders could be scrapped, council tax is set to rise and the amount of community wardens could be reduced as part of the council’s latest budget cuts.

The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead hopes to deliver nearly £6m worth of savings due to the ‘challenging financial position’ it faces.

Part of the draft budget proposals, published yesterday on the council’s website, state that ‘cost pressures’ are expected to be more than £11m. The council says this has been driven by previous spending decisions, changes to the population and demand for services, spending pressures on children’s and adult’s services and an under-delivery of savings and income targets.

Reserves are also low, which means the council has ‘less options’ to adjust to new financial challenges in the short term than other councils.

Proposed savings include reviewing the task of a community warden and reducing the number of wardens who will cover ‘all of the aspects of warden responsibilities’.

Residents will now be charged £50 each for a parking permit and £70 for a second, however there will be discounts for electric vehicles.

Parking discounts for Advantage Card holders will be removed.

The council says ‘removing discounted tariffs will offer equality of provision across the borough’.

The council will also review the number of subsidised bus routes and the green waste annual subscription will be increased to £65 a year - in line with neighbouring authority charges.

Arts centres Norden Farm in Altwood Road and The Old Court in Windsor will receive a reduced grant from the council. Norden Farm’s grant will be reduced by £33,000 a year from September 2020 and The Old Court by £17,000 from September 2020.

The council will also try and make savings by ‘rationalising’ the council’s mobile phone usage and removing refreshments from meetings.

Earlier this month the Advertiser reported council tax could rise by 1.99 per cent along with a two per cent increase in the adult social care precept under the budget proposals.

The paper is first set to be discussed at the communities’ overview and scrutiny panel on Tuesday, January 28 in the town hall at 6.30pm.