Council Meeting
9 October 2025
BUDGET MONITOR 202 5/26 Q2

1. All Committees
The Council’s budget for 2025/26 is £207,383.50 of which £160,000 is funded
by the Precept. The remainder will be taken from reserves. At the end of Q2
the Council had spent £79,319.01 (38.2%) of its budget.

2. Burial Grounds
The first half of the current financial year has been a quiet one for this
committee with only regular contractor payments and other small
maintenance payments. Cemetery fees have exceeded the anticipated level
of receipt by approximately 10%. Expenditure of £1,318.28 (after the set-off of
cemetery fees of £5,465) amounts to 14.45% of the committee’s budget.

3. EBNP (Review)
In this quarter the only expenditure has been for consultants who have been
preparing the conservation area appraisal, in the sum of £5,243.48. Total
spend for Q1 and Q2 has been £13,243.48 which is 35.8% of the budget of
£37,000.

4. Playing Fields
Expenditure of £5,815.54 (29.2%) in the first half of the financial year has
been well within budget. However, the cost of rabbit-proof fencing of over
£10k cannot be met within the budget and the committee is seeking a
supplementary estimate for Q3.

5. RFF (General)
At the half year the committee had spent £5,614.52 (29.9%) of budget which
comprises the litter picker’s salary and supplies, the installation of a new dog
bin and the annual dog and litter bin emptying charge.

6. RFF (Car Park and toilets)
Due to Anglian Water having estimated meter readings for two years instead
of reading the meter regularly, a bill for three times the expected quarterly
water and sewerage charge was received in August, amounting to £1,258.39,
thereby catching up with underpaid charges.

In addition, major plumbing works were necessary in the toilets to repair a
leak and to update a forty year old system which was worn out, all of which
cost £1,485.58. The new system should lead to a reduction in utility charges.

Consequently, expenditure in Q2, £5,512.36, was double that of Q1,
£2,508.33. Nevertheless, total expenditure for the half year, £8,020.69
amounted to 51.3% of budget and thus save for unforeseen incidents, the
committee is on course to end the year within budget.

7. SPF (General)
Most of the committee’s expenditure is regular or expected payments and in
Q2, £15,447.14 (21.9%) of the budget was spent. Overall, at the end of the
half year, 33,328.93 (47.3%) of the budget had been expended and the
committee is on target to break even at the year end.

Bank interest of £7,500 has been anticipated in the budget and by the end of
Q2, £3777.70 had been received in the Santander deposit account, so it is
likely that the anticipated sum will be met from that account alone. Annual
interest from the two building society accounts will be a windfall for the
committee.

The external audit fee of £1,680 has exceeded the budget provision of £650
due to the much greater income and expenditure arising from CIL receipts and
projects which has placed the Council in a higher category of authorities,
liable for more resilient audit and hence increased charges. The overspend
can be accommodated within the committee’s overall budget.

This year the Committees have not called upon contingencies to the extent of
previous years and less than £500 has been spent from the budget of £5,000.

8. SPF (Grants)
Grants totalling £5,500 have been awarded in Q1 and Q2, leaving a budget
balance of £9,500 for the remainder of the financial year.

9. Young People
The only expenditure this year so far has been the two quarterly payments of
£2,982 for the Youth Club providers. These payments amount to 28.4% of the
budget, leaving scope for the committee to launch new projects in the second
half of the year.

10. Other income and expenditure
Although these items are outside the budget, the sums of money involved are
significant and need to be brought to the Council’s attention.

‘Other’ Income in Q1 and Q2 amounted to £398,142.84 and comprised:
Precept £160,000.00
CIL £106,808.38
VAT refund £22,876.00
Cleansing
Grant £6,349.20

Reserves £102,109.26

The reserves income requires explanation. £40k was part of the Tennis Club’s
contribution to their CIL project which the Council held in escrow to discharge
bills. £60k was Babergh’s CIL award for the Cricket Club project which the
Council had funded from reserves pending such reimbursement.

‘Other’ Expenditure in Q1 and Q2 amounted to £251,820.50 and comprised:
Reserves £193,714.75
Parish CIL awards £58,105.75

The expenditure of reserves has been payments in respect of the Council’s
Tennis and Cricket club projects, over £160k of which will be reimbursed when
Babergh pay their CIL awards. £60k has already been received and the
remainder is imminent. Parish CIL awards have been the CIL contributions to
those projects pursuant to the Council’s policy.

Graham White
Parish Clerk
7 October 2025