Ashburton Town Council is proposing a small increase in the precept (the Town Council’s part of the Council tax), to support BYP and Ashburton Pool, pending a public consultation.
How much money are we talking about? The Town Council has decided it would like to help both BYP and the pool by adding £30,000 each to the precept. For individual households, this would add 26p to 77p a week (£13.38 to £40.14 per year, or about £20 a year for a typical Band D household) to Council tax, depending on tax banding (A-H). Reductions, such as for single person, would still apply.
BYP is open to all young people age 9-19 growing up in Ashburton and the surrounding area. We believe investment in our young people is essential for the well-being and future of our community, as well as leading to reduced demand for other services, eg mental health, social services and police interventions.
It costs £60-£70,000 a year to keep BYP open four evenings a week (mostly to pay our part-time staff, run activities, maintain the building and cover utility bills). With no financial support from the government or local authority, it’s down to our Trustees and supporters to raise funds, year after year (25 years and counting!). Grant funding is increasingly competitive, especially for core costs, so with the end of our National Lottery grant this past year, we are working hard applying to other sources, along with trying to generate income in other ways. £30,000 for next year would give us almost half our budget and provide stability to plan ahead with confidence.
Please vote to help keep BYP here for the young people of Ashburton!
Voting will be in person only:
Thursday, 5 December, 4-8pm in the Information Centre during late night shopping OR
Saturday, 7 December, 11am-noon in the Information Centre OR
You can also vote in the Town Clerk’s office Monday-Thursday from 10am to noon or in the Information Centre during opening times from Saturday, 30 November.
The Deadline to vote is Saturday, 23 December.
In a rural town like Ashburton, with limited public transport, BYP is an invaluable asset, not only for our young people, but for community life overall. Please support us!