Follow the leader: by Denise Jeffery - Not a time to cut services

As ever residents and businesses are at the heart of everything we do, and this budget ensures that we continue to deliver on what you’ve told us matters most.

I’m pleased that so many of you took time to get involved in our consultations. Your thoughts and ideas were hugely valuable in helping to shape this budget.

This past year has been a year we could never have predicted, but despite the significant financial challenges we face, it is not a time to cut services. We are investing in our people and our places so that we can make a real difference and we are leading our district’s recovery from the pandemic.

Many of you said you’ve been spending more time in our local parks and green spaces. You told us how much these places matter to you and how important they have been in supporting your physical and mental health. That is why we are investing additional resources to enhance these fantastic spaces.

Many people’s work has been impacted by the pandemic, with areas such as retail and hospitality particularly hard-hit.

That why this year we’re investing more in support for skills and employment opportunities, through our STEP-UP programme to help our residents and employers and to boost the district’s economy.

You told us that you backed your Council’s plans to tackle climate change and protect the environment. In response are working at pace to bring forward schemes that will make a difference for generations to come.

As ever we remain fully committed to protecting the vulnerable and tackling poverty and inequality. We are also injecting extra funds into improving our roads which have been badly affected by recent severe weather and flooding.

We continue to support the work of the district’s Recovery Board in responding to the needs of residents and businesses across our area, including providing hardship support, support for food banks and voluntary and community organisations, and supporting our high streets. I’m sure you’ll agree this needed now more than ever.

And we continue to invest in children’s services and adult social care.

You also gave us your views on plugging the £25m funding gap that we have to fill.

The feedback we received was that you supported our plan to deliver efficiencies in a way that minimises the impact on services. And you agreed with us on using additional council tax from new homes and business rates to help close the gap.

You also understood and supported our plan to close the remaining £5.9m budget gap with Council Tax increase of 1.99%, along with an adult social care precept of 2%.

Raising Council Tax is never an easy proposal and I take no pleasure in the additional 2% adult social care surcharge.

I am fully aware of the hardships many people in the district are facing and I understand that any increase will be difficult for some.

We continue to call on the Government for a long-term national solution to the funding of care for older people so that local residents are not having to pick up the extra costs via their Council Tax bills. Until this is resolved, we have no choice but to add another Adult Social Care Precept.

As we continue to meet the many challenges of the Covid-19, I would like to thank everyone for your support. I greatly appreciate the feedback we’ve received on this budget – we will continue pull together to do our very best and build better lives for everyone