BCP Council has said its approved budget coming into action from April “supports the most vulnerable” while also increasing council tax by 4.99 per cent.
The authority has defended rising council tax by the most it legally can do without calling a referendum for 2024/25.
Senior councillors and officers say it will deliver a four-year balanced budget that “protects core services and puts money aside to cover ongoing risks, while delivering more efficient ways of working”.
Read the Echo on Saturday for Matt Simpson's full story on the budget meeting
They add it closes a £44m funding gap which included a £30m structural gap resulting from the £30m one-off use of reserves in balancing the 2023/24 budget.
It means a band D property will now pay £1,767.22 - rising from £1,683.23.
However, the Lib Dem-led Three Towns Alliance’s budget will see more than £40m worth of service cutbacks.
On the horizon are day centre closures, reduced hours for library opening times, more than 100 redundancies, fewer grass cuttings, community safety officers axed and the air festival’s final year among other cuts.
Not all councillors agreed with the budget at this week’s full council.
Council leader Vikki Slade said: “During this financial crisis, the council has put the most vulnerable in our society first and protected the core services that they rely on.
“This budget will keep our communities clean and safe and maintain core infrastructure. It will add millions to our reserves, rather than raiding them, so that we can be protected from future financial shocks.
“Like all councils, we have faced some difficult choices and had some tough decisions to make. We’ve not shirked from that and we know this budget includes decisions that are hard for our residents to hear.
“But this budget means that BCP Council’s financial position is turning a corner and can focus on the priorities our residents have told us about.
“Residents’ feedback on the council’s budget consultation late last year has been really useful in helping us to identify the priorities for our communities, and we have acted on the views of our residents to make changes around our spending on public protection, town centre investment, day services and more.”
Cllr Mike Cox, portfolio holder for finance, said: “Out budget delivers a balanced budget for 2024/25 and medium-term finance plan for the next four years, to 2028.
“This budget adds millions of pounds to our reserves and will provide a platform from which BCP can thrive in the future.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel