Maidstone Borough Council 3 Council tax freeze


Council tax payers in Maidstone will not be asked to pay any extra for Maidstone Borough Council’s services next year, April 2011 to March 2012.


The council has set its budget for next year and kept the band D tax for its services at £222.39, the same as last year.


The Kent County Council, Kent Police Authority and the Kent Fire and Rescue Service are also freezing their charges at last year’s levels.


That means that the total bill for a band D taxpayer, excluding parish council precepts, will remain at


Budget consultation


Consultation on the council’s budget for 2011-2014 took place between August – November 2010. It lasted more than 12 weeks: • To raise awareness of the budget situation, the statutory services the Council provides, and the savings options considered by Cabinet Members.


• To find out which discretionary services matter most to local people.


• To encourage comments on the service options considered by Cabinet Members and ask for other suggestions for savings. The ‘MY Council, what matters to ME’ road show visited supermarkets, shopping centres, Maidstone Leisure Centre, Staplehurst Library, Maidstone Mela, Maidstone Gateway, four neighbourhood forums, the rural conference, older persons forum, voluntary groups and the Citizens Advice Bureau. More than 1,800 people took part to say what matters most to them. The results in order of importance were: • 20% - Open Spaces - Open spaces, parks and recreation grounds


• 19% - Community Services - Community safety, CCTV and community development


• 16% - Transport Services - Bus shelters and rural bus services


• 13% - Recreation & Sport - Maidstone Leisure Centre, sports and youth activities


• 12% - Environmental Protection - Health promotion and toilets


• 10% - Economic Development - Tourism, visitor information centre, town centre management, conference venue marketing and Christmas lights


• 9% - Grants - Grants to voluntary and charitable organisations


• 1% - Democratic Representation - Civic occasions and events


Follow us on


£1,476.80 for 2011-2012. Kent County Council will get £1,047.78, Maidstone Borough Council £222.39, Kent Police Authority £138.68 and Kent & Medway Fire & Rescue Authority £67.95.


About 15p in every pound of council tax paid goes to Maidstone Borough Council.


The budget has been agreed following consultation with parishes, neighbourhood forums, community


and voluntary groups and the public. The budget


preserves the services that are central to the council and those that are seen as important to the public during the consultation.


Council tax payers in parish council areas may see an increase in their bill as parish councils cannot take advantage of government support.


Changes to Local Housing


Allowance Changes have been made to the rules for Local Housing Allowance (LHA) as part of the Government’s plans to reduce the cost of welfare benefits. About 1,900 households in the Maidstone borough which are receiving housing benefit payments under the current LHA rules will be affected. The changes are: • Maximum property size. If a family requires a property larger than four bedrooms they will be paid the four bedroom rate.


• A reduction in maximum benefit that can be paid. It is estimated that the level of rent to be met by housing benefit will drop between £4 and £11 per week. These reductions will apply to all new claims for benefit from April 2011. Existing claimants will not be affected until nine months after the next review of their claim.


• Removal of the excess award from April 1, 2011. Some claimants have been eligible for up to £15 per week above the actual rent charged. Existing claimants will have it withdrawn on the next anniversary review of their claim.


• Extra help with overnight care - from April 1 extra help will be available for those requiring overnight care and who need an additional room for a carer to sleep in. This room will be allowed for when deciding on the maximum amount of housing benefit in these cases.


For more information visit www.maidstone.gov.uk, email benefits@maidstone.gov.uk or call 01622 602557.


Red Nose Day 2011 Council staff held a dress down day for Comic Relief and raised more than £260.00 for the cause.


Uprockin Skateboarding and BMX Competitions Saturday, June 25 12pm-6pm. FREE event. Skates and Bruises, South Park, Maidstone.


– www.twitter.com/maidstonebc


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56