Budget consultation

The first part of the consultation is designed to help us to set our budget for the next financial year, April 2025 to March 2026.

For any Council, setting a balanced budget which allocates resources towards its priorities is one of the most difficult but important responsibilities it has.

Each year we have to weigh up pressures including:

• increased demand for services
• reduced central government funding
• competing commitments
• priorities and ambitions

We have to balance spending against the money available from government grants, Council Tax, Business Rates and revenue generated through charges.

Over the last decade we have delivered a range of efficiencies totalling millions of pounds while continuing to deliver key services.

Despite this, we continue to face budgetary pressures and in the next financial year it we need to reduce our overall budget by £3.5m.

This is due to a range of issues like the cost-of-living crisis, increasing requirements from central government and increasing demand for public services.

In order to meet the funding gap, a number of proposals are being examined:

• Options within discretionary services; these are services that we do not have to run but choose to do so for the benefit of residents and visitors
• Service transformation; improving customer experience and reducing costs through emerging and digital technologies
• Cost reduction through changed use of accommodation
• Potential for increasing income

Residents are being asked to comment on potential areas identified for investment, areas identified for potential cost savings and areas identified for potentially introducing or increasing charges.

Feedback will assist us with our budget-setting process, because councillors will know what’s most important to residents before any decisions are made.

Once feedback from the survey has been fully analysed it will be included in the budget proposals which will be discussed by councillors early in 2025.