BOGNOR REGIS TOWN COUNCIL BUDGET STATEMENT 2007/08 BY CLLR SIMON MCDOUGALL LEADER OF THE COUNCIL

This is the final budget to be presented by the Liberal Democrat administration before next years elections. I am sure that many of the opposition member's comments tonight will be far more focused on that date than what are truly significant benefits to the local community. It will see a budget increase of 3.43% which is significantly lower than last year's precept charge. In fact it represents a reduction of 3.4%. The cost to a band D council tax payer will be £3.70 per year an increase of 7.1p per week. This MR Mayor represents financial prudence and leaves the next administration the scope to develop services in line with the emerging Town Plan.

This budget ensures that what we do well as a council receives adequate funding and maintains significant funding in our priority areas. It will ensure that our visual environment and street scene are maintained to a high standard for the benefit of the Town and visitors alike. Our popular events programme will again be fully financed to attract visitors and enhance the local economy. But we do not have the luxury of being complacent in our financial situation. We need to step up the work of finding external funding for projects which will enable the precept to be kept low in the long term and make the financial situation even sounder for the future. We are putting in significant resources to the regeneration task force team over the next 2 years which will over see the exciting development proposals for the Hothampton and Regis centre sites.

Events are a large part of this Council's activity and along with our usual events run in house we will be supporting external events too. Yet again we are putting significant investment into the Pevensey Festival and the Pevensey Project steering group this is in addition to further funding for specialist music workshops run by the Rox organisation all dedicated to this deprived area of the Town. It is investment like this working with other organisations that give the opportunities for young people to make a success of their lives where in the past such opportunities never existed. We will also be supporting via grant aid the successful breakfast club run by the BASE project which also benefits this area along with significant grant to the Bognor Regis Youth and community centre at Westloats lane and money for the number 18 project and the Funbus this area is getting exceptional benefit from next years budget.

This year we started a new music festival for the town with the idea it filled the gap in the events programme left vacant by the sad demise of the town carnival. Despite the fact our Events Officer Sue Holmes had only been in post for 8 months she did a brilliant job of making this 1st event a real success. Not only was there live entertainment around the Town during the course of the week we were able to give major financial support to the Hotham Arts Centre and able to recycle some of that money in their British Festival of music later in the year. I am pleased to say that we are also putting into this years budget a major revenue budget contribution to allow it to continual running successfully next year.

In March of this year we welcomed back the clowns to Bognor for the first time in 10 years despite the bitterly cold weather that weekend many thousands of people lined the streets to watch their traditional parade through the streets. This event was a success and I am pleased to say that this event will be taking place again next March in partnership with Butlins. The International Birdman was again a major success and will receive both financial assistance and officer support in fact we are set to be the major sponsor for the event for the 3rd year running. The event continues to give publicity to the Town like no other event can it is unique to Bognor and gives us national and international press that would cost millions if we had to pay for it. Sands of Time is an event that continues to run from strength to strength and will continue to be part of our ambitious events programme for 2006. What many members of the public do not realise that apart from the amounts budgeted many organisations outside of our funding benefit from the use of Town force time and officer resources which is why we now employ a dedicated events officer.

Last year we took over the running of the Christmas lights and are now putting into place significant resources for new light schemes and investment in the displays that are getting old and in need of modernisation. The first tranche of this investment is now fixed and working however the old lights are proving to be problematic and there is the very real need to accelerate this investment so that our lights remain a source of joy for all. This year we also won the South East in Bloom competition for the 2nd year running gaining a silver gilt but we are not resting on our laurels our victory has given us automatic entry into next years Britain in Bloom competition which we are determined to put up a bold show again but making sure that other local authorities play their role too. Together I believe we will have a winning package that will serve the long term street scene objectives of this Council well. I am proud of our Town and recognise the need to talk it up as much as possible. By putting significant investment into environment and event services we will encourage more spend in the local economy. People who visit our Town to watch events are more likely to return and spend money in our shops if they see a clean, tidy and safe place to visit. It will also make local people feel better with their surroundings and Bognor Regis a proud place to live giving an injection of much needed civic pride in the Town.

Town force continues to go from strength to strength and is a credit to us all. With Liberal Democrat innovation, policies and direction that has made it the success it is today. We are now one of the few local council's in the country to have a horticultural apprentice who has fitted in well to the team and showing a zest for learning his trade that is a credit to this Council. I would like to put on record my thanks to Jack and his team for all of the hard work they do on behalf of the Council and the people of Bognor Regis.

Looking to the future there are many challenges ahead for us as a Council and it is our duty to meet them head on and champion the issues as local community leaders. . As a Council we will be trying to achieve quality Council status during the next financial year a first step in that process. With the local government white paper now published local government reorganisation is very likely, we may well be asked to take on more services and deliver them locally almost certainly in partnership with neighbouring Parish Councils. In achieving quality status we will be well placed in the future to take on these additional responsibilities when the time comes. By going through this process we will have to prepare for public consultation a Town plan which meets the aspirations of the residents of Bognor Regis and protects the long term interests of the Town. There will be a need for resident's surveys, public meetings and exhibitions to ensure this process is owned by the residents of the Town. This process is now under the way with the first meeting with local stakeholders scheduled for early January. As an administration it would be tempting to use the significant capital reserves and use them as an election war chest. We will not be cynical and be irresponsible with public money. It is the people of Bognor Regis money and they have the right to decide on how they want their money to be spent through the Town plan process. By leaving such a substantial reserve in place the next administration will be on a sound financial footing to choose its own priorities and have financial teeth to follow through those choices made by them. Mr Mayor I formally moved that this budget is approved the Council as amended by the Policy and Resources Committee last week.