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Stewardship Charge 2026

Stewardship Charge 2026

We provide the Estates and Stewardship services in Lightmoor Village. These services are partly funded by the Stewardship Charge all households (tenants and homeowners) pay.
Details of the 2026 Stewardship 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 team, please contact us by emailing [email protected] or pop into the BVT office in the Oak Tree Community Centre.

In Lightmoor Village, BVT provides the Estates and Stewardship service to make sure your neighbourhood remains well-maintained, welcoming and vibrant. All residents, whether tenants or homeowners, pay the Stewardship 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 the village. 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 Lightmoor Village is a beautiful place to live.
  4. Wear and 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 repairing or replacing them. Including, hard surfaces, block paving, lampposts and street furniture.
    For a detailed breakdown of what each service includes, visit Estates and Stewardship Service.

Together, through the Stewardship Charge and community involvement, we can maintain and enhance Lightmoor Village for everyone.

Everyone pays a standard Stewardship Charge contributing towards the cost of maintaining the village, including the grounds maintenance of the green and open spaces, gritting the main access roads in winter and community involvement.

Some residents pay an additional enhanced rate because their properties have vehicle access to shared areas (for example, the use of a courtyard or shared road).

The reasoning is based on fairness: those who use the shared spaces more intensively (e.g., driving and parking over them) contribute a bit more toward their upkeep as well as keeping them lit.

This system was introduced by the resident-led Management Committee, after consulting the community.


By sharing the cost fairly, we help keep the Village safe, attractive, and enjoyable for everyone.

If your home has vehicle access over a shared area, like a courtyard, driveway, mews link, private road or similar an additional charge applies. This includes homes with a parking space, garage, or driveway that’s reached by one of these shared areas we own and manage.

We don’t apply the charge if you only have pedestrian access over a shared driveway, since walking doesn’t cause the same wear and tear as vehicles.

Up until now, the area has been the responsibility of the developer who built it. The developer has been covering the electricity costs for lighting and carrying out any necessary repairs. These areas have now been transferred to us.

When new housing estates are built, local councils usually only take care of the main roads. They don’t look after the other streets or areas.

When homeowners buy a property in Lightmoor Village, 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.

From the moment you move into Lightmoor Village, our team is here to support you. We look after the Village’s green spaces, parks, and play areas, and we also offer guidance on home alterations, applications and covenants, and 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 party to this process and does not adopt roads or payments.
• Adoption of highways and footpaths is handled by Telford and Wrekin Council’s Highways department in coordination with the developers.
• BVT staff are well informed about the process and can usually provide information on the status of adoption in your area. Feel free to ask us for updates.

There are also other types of “adoptions” such as drainage which BVT is also not involved in.

Covenants mean we could pass all the costs of maintaining Lightmoor Village onto residents. But we don’t. Instead, everyone contributes, and we cover any shortfall.

We do this because we want residents to enjoy safe, clean, and green spaces, with parks and open areas for everyone to use. It also helps us shape and support communities where people can thrive. While this costs money, we make sure the overall charge for residents stays affordable.

Each year, the resident-led Lightmoor Village Estate Management Committee reviews and sets the charge. They consider the cost of living, rising prices for materials like grit, and the work involved in maintaining and improving the Village. 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 Stewardship 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. You can pop into the Oak Tree Centre 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 on our website:
www.bvt.org.uk/help-and-support/feedback-and-complaints/make-a-complaint-or-compliment/

A member of the team is available Monday-Friday from 8:30am-5pm

Come and speak to a member of the team, pop into the Oak Tree Community Centre or email [email protected] and we can arrange to meet and talk your complaint through with you, and answer any questions you have.

No, in Lightmoor Village we contribute to the cost of running the village. This is part of BVT’s not for profit and charitable aims. We recognise the importance of maintaining safe, clean, and green spaces where residents can live comfortably and have access to open spaces and parks. This is essential for our aim of place shaping and our mission to create and sustain thriving communities. While we acknowledge the cost of providing this service, we are committed to ensuring the stewardship charge remains affordable for all residents.

In 2025, the wear and tear fund held approximately £1.08 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 wear and tear fund is added from the Stewardship Charge for all the assets in Lightmoor Village. The fund collects money for large future expenditures such as new lampposts and bins to large scale block paving replacements or pathway renewals.

This is calculated as a set amount each year according to our 30-year plan, this is based on the Royal Institute of Charted Surveyor’s standard life cycle figures. The plan makes sure the fund aligns with anticipated future speeding needs.

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

Elections for the Lightmoor Village Estate Management Committee (LVEMC) are held every two years, and any resident is welcome to stand. 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 is entitled to vote.

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

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