Braddan Commissioners are very pleased to announce that after maintaining the Parish Rate at 227p for four years, they are now able to set the 2013/2014 rate at 225p in the pound, a reduction of 2p! This is in spite of the fairly major increase in the cost of waste disposal recently announced by Government, where gate fees at the Energy From Waste plant for domestic waste have increased by 62% this year from ?35 to ?57 per tonne. This cost will increase annually by ?21 to ?161 per tonne by 2018.
Chairman Mrs Margaret Hodge said “We have been anticipating an increase for some years as we felt the heavy government subsidy was unsustainable, so it has not surprised us in the way that it appears to have done to other local authorities.
This really endorses our commitment to recycling and the continuation of the Kerbside Collection service that we provide in partnership with Douglas Corporation. We would urge all parishioners to embrace the concept of “reduce, reuse and recycle” when dealing with their waste.
Unfortunately we are also still defending the legal action instituted against us by the former Clerk, Charles Lewin, which the Commissioners consider to be totally misconceived, but does involves considerable on-going legal costs having to be met by the Commissioners.
Fortunately for the past five years now Braddan has managed its finances in an exemplary fashion, and I pay tribute to the efforts of staff and Commissioners alike in their continued vigilance in keeping our costs down. At a time when every other item of household expenditure seems to be rocketing upwards, we are delighted that we can avoid adding to the burden by reducing the cost of the rates.
The rate reduction does not mean that the Commissioners will not be spending money in improving the parish. We hope to follow the similar pattern of this present financial year where a state of the art skate park and BMX track have been developed, and are up and running, in Cronk Grianagh Park which will be officially opened in time for the Easter holidays”.
Improvements incorporated into the budget for the coming year are monies for further developing Cronk Grianagh Park and the other play areas in the Parish, and the completion of a new car park adjacent to the Port Soderick Recreational Hall, where plans have crept forward ever so slowly this year.
The Commissioners are still committed to advancing an exciting development in Strang Corner Field, and they also hope to find ways in which new properties can be added to their housing stock.
