Councillors in Havant have approved spending plans for 2024-2025, including £69m of investment across the borough over the next five years on new infrastructure, improved frontline services and coastal protection.
At a full council meeting on 28 February 2024, Havant Borough Council’s Leader, Councillor Alex Rennie, presented the proposed Revenue and Capital budgets to members.
Among the proposals agreed were recommendations to:
- Invest £339,000 refurbishing play parks at Scratchface Lane in Bedhampton, Avenue Road in Hayling Island and Cowplain Recreation Ground in the next 18 months
- Freeze the cost of hiring council owned sports pitches in the borough
- Financially support the further development of the Waterlooville Leisure Centre
- Invest a further £100,000 in deployable and static CCTV across the borough
The budget also contained ambitious plans to help prevent homelessness and rough sleeping across the borough with the council earmarking £2.7m, for the purchase of temporary accommodation for those who are at risk of homelessness as well as providing additional funding to Citizens Advice.
The council has also committed to utilising the funding available from the Local Authority Housing Fund - a total of almost £10m - which will help to secure longer term accommodation for refugees living in the borough.
Funding was also agreed for civil engineering programmes including improving active travel routes across the borough, updating seafront facilities, and delivering coastal protection and management projects.
The council’s gross revenue expenditure on delivering vital services such as kerbside waste collection, administering revenues and benefits, planning services, environmental health and licensing, building control, housing, community services and enforcement is £63m for the coming financial year. Of this £63m, £18.1m comes from Council Tax receipts, Retained Business Rates, non-ringfenced grants and investment income. The remainder comes from operating income from fees and charges and all specific service grants.
Councillor Rennie outlined ways in which the council has sought to improve cost-effectiveness and value for money, including better use of IT, reviewing current staff vacancies to ensure they match resource requirements and consolidating staff into one block at the Public Service Plaza so that commercial opportunities may be explored for the vacant space.
The budget also included proposals to increase council tax by 2.99% (a Council Tax rate of £232.82 at Band D, representing a £6.76 increase on the current charge) and to increase fees and charges by 6.7% (in line with September 2023 Consumer Price Index).
Councillor Rennie said: “This is a bold plan of record investment with a long-term vision of how we can improve the borough for all our residents. Our capital programme for next financial year alone includes investment of £25m across all areas of the borough.
“Havant Borough Council still faces some financial impacts from exiting its partnership arrangement with East Hampshire District Council. We are confident that most of these issues have been resolved while still allowing us to increase our capital budget and provide substantial investment in the borough.
“Going forward, we expect further reductions in central government funding. By presenting this balanced budget and maintaining our reserves, we put ourselves in the strongest possible position to continue providing vital services and maintaining valuable community assets.
“Despite the challenging economic conditions, we are still ambitious for our borough, and committed to improving the health of our communities, protecting and enhancing our natural and built environment and building for the future.”
For more information about the budget, visit: Budgets and spending overview