The cost of attending and hiring venues in the borough could rise by between 3 and 6 per cent from April, after councillors approved a provisional increase in fees and charges last night.

Epsom and Ewell Borough Council’s Community and Wellbeing Committee unanimously agreed the increase, with councillors admitting it faces an “uncertain future”.

If agreed at a full council meeting on Valentine’s Day, the cost of hiring social suite at the refurbished Ewell Court House would go up by 4.8 per cent, while single trips through the council’s Route Call would rise by 5.66 per cent to £5.60.

Surrey Comet:

Committee Chair Councillor Barry Nash (pictured above) said: “I feel the increase in charges is realistic in the current climate without making ourselves uncompetitive.”

De-facto council leader, Residents’ Association Chairman Clive Woodridge (pictured below) added: “They’re not excessive.

Surrey Comet:

“They’re reflective of the need to maintain revenue and maintain use and accessibility. I think they’re quite reasonable.”

The council will agree its budget, including estimates of income and expenditure, on February 14.

To enable the budget to be finalised, the Policy Committees – including the Community and Wellbeing, Environment, Licensing and Planning and Strategy and resources Committee – are being asked to recommend fees and charges covering the services for which they are responsible.

“The fees and charges presented in this report are discretionary charges only,” council documents advise.

From October: Epsom and Ewell Borough Council left with 'little choice but to accept' cuts in government grant

From December: Tory cuts to Epsom and Ewell 'unfair' and 'disproportionate', borough councillor claims

Epsom and Ewell Borough Council (EEBC) believes it will be about £1 million worse off over the next two years, due to the local government financial settlement announced by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) last year.

The council will lose its revenue support grant (RSG) – generalised funding to local authorities – which is worth £417,000, by 2017/18, as part of the two-year settlement.

From December: Six per cent rise in council tax to fund adult social care announced by Communities Secretary Sajid Javid

A DCLG spokesman argued the settlement was part of a long-term strategy to make councils more self-sufficient, by allowing them to keep all council tax and business rates.

Surrey Comet:

Labour councillor Kate Chinn (pictured above) raised concerns about a “squeeze” in the council’s housing budget (from £1,648,000 in 2016/17 to an estimated £1,629,000 for the next financial year).

She asked: “Are we being premature in our optimism? I do hope my pessimism is proved wrong.”

Surrey Comet:

Committee Vice-Chairman Tony Axelrod responded: “I don’t know that we are being optimistic.

“I think we’re agreeing that it is an uncertain future.

“At the moment we seem to be doing OK, but we are not complacent. There are potentially problems there.”

Also at last night’s meeting:

  • The council agreed to set up a Home Improvement Agency Fund to “enable urgent assistance to be provided to vulnerable residents to avoid immediate risk to health and safety, or to avoid hospitalisation”.
  • Council officer Karen Ordoyno said: “We can provide locks if people have been burgled or a grab rail if needed, for example, through this scheme. It will not be a house makeover free of charge or anything like that.”
  • Councillor Woodbridge called for ’56 long-term empty properties’ within the borough back into use. He said: “That seems to be a high number. It would be very successful to bring them back into use.”
  • Concern was expressed at a potential referendum Surrey County Council increasing council tax by 15 per cent.
  • More than £16,000 left over in the council’s repairs and renewals fund was earmarked for improving audio visual equipment at Bourne Hall in Ewell. The remaining cost – “about £150 quid”, according to council officer Andrew Lunt – would be taken out of the revenue budget.
  • Councillor Humphrey Reynolds said: “I think it’s an excellent idea. If it’s not enough money, we should find a bit more.”
  • A £110,000 refurbishment of Rosebery Park pond £47,000 resurfacing works at the tennis and basketball courts at Alexandra Recreation Ground were unanimously approved, alongside £535,000 being reserved for facilities for disabled people.
  • Conservative councillor Jane Race, who launched a petition calling on the council to improve the tennis courts thanked council officers, and said: “I know residents will be really pleased with the refurbishment because it is a very-used court.”
  • It was confirmed that the Christmas Pantomime raised £244,000 last year - £27,000 more than in Christmas 2015.

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