Charnwood Borough Council has produced a draft budget for 2022/23 which will be considered by Cabinet on December 9.
The Council’s lead member for finance, Cllr Tom Barkley, says the budget is another step on the Council’s journey towards improving its financial sustainability which will be the bedrock for delivering excellent services for years to come.
Cllr Barkley said: “We are committed to growing the local economy, looking after the environment, and creating healthy communities. To do that our budget must be sustainable and in good shape so we can provide excellent services, achieve our objectives and deliver for the people of Charnwood.
“Balancing this year’s budget is yet again no easy feat and we are having to make some difficult decisions.
“However, it is imperative we continue to move away from relying on reserves each year to cover our day-to-day running costs.
“Therefore, we are proposing to make more savings next year on top of savings we have already found. We are also proposing what we believe are reasonable increases in some charges.
“We do not want to make savings or increase charges, particularly in the current climate, but we have taken a proportionate approach because there is still a lot of demand upon our services and our costs are also rising. Government funding continues to be lower than in other years.
“This budget is still a draft and we are waiting for an update on the amount of Government funding we will be receiving. However, we need to start the budget-setting process now.
“I would also say to people that if they want to understand the Council’s budget and financial situation then look on the Council website for information. We have tried to make this budget as accessible and understandable as possible.”
The Council’s overall draft budget for 2022/23 is £17.6 million. The Council is proposing to make around £600,000 of savings and generate income of around £400,000 through some increased charges. It is proposed to increase the Charnwood element of Council Tax by £5 on an average Band D property per year.
The Council is still planning to use £200,000 from reserves and depending upon the Government’s financial settlement, it may have to make further savings.
The main budget proposals to be considered by Cabinet on December 9 are summarised below. There is also more information on our budget summary webpage - www.charnwood.gov.uk/budgetsummary
Summary of budget proposals
- It is proposed to amend the opening hours of the Council’s reception and the telephone contact centre to reflect the changing habits of customers and the move to the use of more online services. The reception has been appointment-only since the summer of 2020 due to the pandemic and the Council still sees people in emergency situations and has an out of hours service
- It is proposed to not reintroduce the Shopmobility scheme in Loughborough town centre. The scheme was paused in March 2020 due to the pandemic. It had low usage before that and was down to around 13 bookings a week and nine regular users a month. It would also need further investment before it could reopen. Parking spaces used by the scheme would be retained for people to book. The proposal would save £34,000 a year
- It is proposed to increase the charge of the Garden Waste Service by £9 to £50 per bin, per year (if paid by direct debit) from April 2022. It means the cost is rising from around £1.64 per emptied bin every fortnight to £2 which the Council feels is still very good value for money. The garden waste service is discretionary, and residents can choose to compost instead. Other authorities in the area charge more for a similar service.
- It is proposed to raise the charge to collect bulky waste items from £20 to £25. The charge is comparable with other councils and it is a discretionary service. Residents can choose to take items to the tip or use a similar service from other providers. The fee can be waived for people who can prove exceptional hardship.
For more information on the budget proposals read the Council’s budget summary or read the Cabinet report.
People can have a say about the budget proposals by using this online form. Comments must be received by midnight on Sunday December 19.
