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2026 Annual Community Charge

2026 Annual Community Charge

We provide the Estates and Stewardship services for Lawley. These services are funded by the Community Charge all households (tenants and homeowners) pay. Details of the 2026 Community Charge have been posted to you with information about what the 2025 charge has been spent on.

To help answer any questions you have, please find below a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs).
If you would like to discuss any of the information on this page with our Estates and Stewardship Manager, please email [email protected] or pop into the Lawley Community Hub in the village square opposite Greggs.

In Lawley, BVT provides the Estates and Stewardship Service to make sure the neighbourhood remains well-maintained, welcoming and vibrant. All residents, whether tenants or homeowners, contribute to the Community Charge, which goes directly toward maintaining the village and supporting a strong, inclusive community.

Our long-term stewardship focuses on four key areas:

  1. Community development, involvement, partnerships and communications
    We work to bring residents together through local initiatives, events and partnerships that strengthen the sense of community and keep everyone informed.
  2. Estate management
    The team provides support in a number of areas including advice for alterations, resolving breaches and carrying out checks and inspections throughout Lawley. We oversee the upkeep of communal areas, organise repairs and maintenance, manage the community facilities and make sure the village remains clean, green and safe.
  3. Grounds maintenance
    Our Grounds Maintenance and Estate Caretaking teams look after the green and open spaces and shared outdoor spaces so Lawley is a beautiful place to live.
  4. Wear & Tear Fund
    The Wear and Tear Fund is to cover the cost of future repairs and maintenance in areas we manage and maintain. This is done in line with our 30-year asset management plan that looks at the lifecycles of all the components and estimates the future costs to repair or replace them. This includes hard surfaces, block paving and lampposts and street furniture.
    For a detailed breakdown of what each service includes, visit https://bvtlawleyvillage.org.uk/your-home/about-estates-and-stewardship-services

When homeowners buy a property in Lawley, they sign a transfer document that includes clause 10. This clause gives Bournville Village Trust (BVT) the authority to collect charges that cover the cost of providing certain services in the area.

BVT operates in Lawley on a not-for-profit basis. This means the annual budget is designed only to recover the exact costs needed to deliver these services — often called a “net zero” budget.
If there is ever more money collected than needed, the surplus is given back to residents. This may be through a direct refund, as happened in 2021, or by reducing the service costs for the following year.

From the moment you move into Lawley, our team is here to support you. We look after green spaces and courtyards, and we also offer guidance on home alterations, applications, covenants, and provide community activities.

We’re available to all residents to answer questions and help with any concerns. Not sure who’s responsible for a particular area of land? Don’t worry, we can advise, and if it’s outside our responsibility, we’ll raise the issue with the right organisation on your behalf.

The term ‘adoption’ can be confusing, as many residents use it in relation to the local highways authority ‘adopting’ roads and footpaths around the village. This is formally known as the Section 38 process.

Important points about adoption:

  • BVT is not a party to this process and does not adopt roads or pavements.
  • Adoption of highways and footpaths is handled by Telford and Wrekin Council’s Highways department in coordination with the developer group (Taylor Wimpey, Barratt/David Wilson and Persimmon) and Homes England (the landowner).
  • There are also other types of ‘adoptions’ such as drainage which BVT is similarly not involved in.
  • Traditionally BVT has taken over the grounds maintenance as areas are completed by developers regardless of legal ownership. This makes sure services are delivered to residents as soon as practicable.
  • As developments approach completion, developers may keep the responsibility for grounds maintenance during larger land transfers.
  • If you have any concerns about maintenance standards, we will liaise with the relevant provider on your behalf.
  • Our staff are well informed about the process and can usually provide information on the status of adoption in your area. Feel free to ask them for updates.

Each year, the resident-led Lawley Management Committee reviews and sets the charge. When doing so, they consider the cost of living, rising prices for materials (like grit) and the work involved in maintaining and improving the area. Usually, it is increased in line with the September Consumer Price Index (CPI).

The committee also factors in the costs of running community events, activities and facilitating partnerships. Any changes are carefully planned during the budget process and finalised at the November committee meeting.

Each year, part of the Community Charge goes into a Wear and Tear Fund. This fund helps cover major planned expenditure for repairs and maintenance so we can keep the community looking good and working well.

This includes:

• Fixing or replacing hard surfaces, such as block paving of mews link roads.
• Replacing lampposts.
• Replacing benches, bins and other street furniture.
• Looking after trees.
• Maintaining or replacing drainage systems.

Putting money into this fund each year prevents big jumps in charges later when repairs are needed.

Customers contact us about many aspects of our work, and we welcome feedback and treat each case as an opportunity to learn and improve.

We encourage you to contact us and speak to a member of the team, pop into the Lawley Community Hub or email [email protected] and we can arrange to meet and talk your complaint through with you, and answer any questions you have.

If you’ve had a good or bad experience with us, we welcome your feedback so we can continue to learn. You can do this at:
www.bvt.org.uk/help-and-support/feedback-and-complaints/make-a-complaint-or-compliment/

Please come and speak to a member of the team, pop into the Lawley Community Hub or email [email protected]. We can arrange to meet and talk your complaint through and answer any questions you have.

The resident-led committee is vital to our work and make important decisions on what happens in Lawley.

The elections for the Lawley Management Committee (LMC) are held every two years, and any resident is welcome to stand for election. The next elections are scheduled for 2026 and 2028.

All residents will be contacted when nominations open.

The election process is managed by an independent election services provider, and every household can vote.

If you’re interested in standing for election, please speak to us or current LMC members who can be contacted through the team at any time. You can find out more about what committee members do at www.bvtlawleyvillage.org.uk/your-village/lawley-management-committee

The Lawley Community Hub opening hours are published at https://bvtlawleyvillage.org.uk/contact/. These are the minimum hours the team will be available in the Hub. We are often present during normal working hours and welcome residents dropping in. To make sure the right member of staff is available to help you when you want to visit, it can be helpful to call or email ahead.

We welcome all visitors to the Hub, however we ask all interactions with our team are conducted respectfully. Our staff should not feel at risk or intimidated, and they will always aim to assist with any enquiry you may have.

In 2025, the wear and tear fund held approximately £1.06 million. Interest is calculated monthly at a rate 1% below the Bank of England base rate and is added to the fund at the end of the financial year (December 31st for BVT).

Each year a contribution to the fund is added from the Community Charge Fund. Contractually, the total amount in the fund must be maintained at between 150% and 200% of the Community Charge income for that year. The fund remains compliant with this requirement and is expected to do so throughout 2026. Should any non-compliance arise, budget would be adjusted accordingly.

BVT maintain a 30 year forward maintenance plan for all its assets in Lawley, based on the Royal Institute of Charted Surveyor’s standard life cycle figures. This makes sure the fund aligns with anticipated future speeding needs.

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