Dear Sir,
It is refreshing to note that Council leader Bob Fleming took the time to talk to Newton News about the coming budget requirement of Great Aycliffe Parish Council.
As residents and council tax payers of the Great Aycliffe parish it is only fair that we should be informed of the reasoning behind important decisions such as increases in council taxation.
The Great Aycliffe Council customer panel which consults on council policy is open to all members of the public residing within parish boundaries but the group numbers have fallen recently. I would urge members of the public to get involved in the decision making process and the customer panel is an excellent forum for feeding back to the council your personal views. Anyone interested in joining the customer panel should contact GATC on 300700.
Of course Councillor Fleming is correct to mention the factors which may impinge negatively on the council revenue and reserves and the simple fact remains that in the present fiscal situation that no one can look into a crystal ball to predict financial pressures which may affect the parish council in the near future.
My personal belief is that our Council should continue on a prudent approach to setting a budget which will protect both services and reserves until such times as the financial situation stabilises
Sensible decisions can only be made based on available facts, consequently I applaud the relevant information being made available to the public through the local media.
Ken Robson
By-Election Candidate