Page last updated at 18:16 GMT, Thursday, December 15 2011

Council Budgets and Spending

In delivering its day to day services, the Council will spend over £61 Million in 2011-12.

The majority of the Council’s expenditure is financed by income from charges for its services (for example car parking) and specific central government grants, the largest of which is for the reimbursement of benefit expenditure which totals £32 Million in 2011-12. The remaining balance (known as the net budget) exceeds £11.8 Million in 2011-12 and is financed by:

• Council Tax – a vital source of locally determined income which is approximately £6 Million each year and is charged to all households in the borough.
• General Revenue Support Grant from Central Government.

In addition to its day to day expenditure, the Council also has a large Community Investment Programme comprising a number of new facilities and other projects each year. In 2011-12 this will be over £48 Million and includes a range of environmental improvements and construction projects and the replacement of old vehicles.

In planning its budget the Council prepares a 3 year rolling strategy for its day to day running expenses and a 5 year strategy for its Community Investment Programme. The budget for 2011-12 ensures that the Council continues to provide a high quality services and maintains a sound financial base on which to build for future years.

Documents and Publications

Each year, the Council publishes:

• A budget book, which sets out the Council's financial plans for the year for each service.
• A statement of accounts and internal control which provides an audited account of the Council's finances and control arrangements for the year (this is published in late September each year as it takes six months to close the accounts, have them audited and produce the statement).
• A summarised version of the statement of accounts to put the same information into a more user friendly format, aimed at members of the public (as opposed to the original statement which is in a prescribed format and generally only used by accountants and auditors).
• An audit inspection letter which is sent from the government appointed external auditors to the Council and contains the auditors opinion on the accounts and the Council's arrangements for financial control.