The
council’s proposed spending plans, drawn up following consultation with
residents, go before cabinet on Thursday 10 February. Once finalised by cabinet
the proposed budget will be presented to full Council on Tuesday 15 February.
The
council is proposing a general council tax increase of 1.99%, which equates to
an increase of £30.44 for a Band D property. The increase is in addition
to a 1% increase in the social care precept, which is ring-fenced to support
Adult Social Care services. For a Band D property this would result in a below
inflation total annual increase of 2.99% or £45.73 (88p per week).
Councillor
Richard Samuel, deputy leader and cabinet member for Economic Development and
Resources said: “We do appreciate the impact the rising cost of living is
having on residents, but the council is also continuing to face financial
challenges due to the ongoing impact of the pandemic, a loss of income, an
increase in demand for services, particularly in Adult and Children’s Social
Care, together with recruitment and supply chain issues and inflationary
pressures.
“If
we are to balance our books, protect frontline services and continue to invest
in services that matter to local people, a council tax rise is inevitable but
we have kept our increase below the current rate of inflation. We do, however,
continue to have one of the lowest council tax rates of all unitary authorities
in the South West and I believe we provide value for money.
The
council is proposing to set a net revenue budget of £126.74m.
It’s
also proposing a new investment of £950k into neighbourhood services. This will
enhance the council’s ability to clean streets, gullies and road signs more
frequently in more areas. It will also enable the council to carry out more
litter picks, remove graffiti quickly and regularly maintain road markings and
pavements to improve the environment across our communities. This is in
addition to £455k revenue provision to further improve recycling.
Over
the next five years the council has made provision for £340m in capital
investment to meet its priorities, with new additions in the 2022/23 budget
including:
- £11.7m to deliver new council homes alongside £5m for
new affordable housing
- £2m on transport improvements (£1.2m on the Transport
Improvement Programme and £800k match funding towards CRSTS projects)
- £4m to provide a SEND residential college at Bath College,
Radstock
- £7.8m to maintain roads
- £500k to develop a business case and secure funding for
a Collection Study Centre to safeguard Bath’s Fashion Museum collection
- £750k to replace the roof of the Carswood Day Centre in
Twerton
- £750k to replace Keynsham’s Memorial Bridge. This is in addition to existing £2.2m plans for a new Somerdale Bridge.
Significant
investment is also being planned to tackle the Climate and Ecological Emergency
and help the district reach net zero by 2030 including:
- An additional £9.2m for the Keynsham Recycling Hub at
Pixash Lane. The uplift is required to align with current market prices in
response to national increases in labour and material costs as a result of
Covid-19 and to deliver the proposed development in full. It also ensures
measures to tackle the climate and ecological emergency are retained as a
priority, as well as compliance with planning consent.
- £14.2m additional investment into waste modernisation
to further enhance the council’s high levels of recycling. Public recycling
facilities will be retained at Midland Road until a new permanent
Household Waste Recycling Centre is developed and built in Bath. As part
of Bath’s recycling provision, the council will develop plans for
additional neighbourhood recycling sites within the city
- £201k to expand the council’s green vehicle fleet
- £800k for Commercial Estate Refurbishment to address
the repair backlog and plan for energy efficiency improvements. The
council will also seek support from the West of England Combined Authority’s
Green Recovery Fund support for this programme
- £150k for Green Infrastructure including a Nature
Recovery and Delivery Plan
£11.8m
of savings and additional income streams have been identified, including:
- £1.3m from maintaining a 2% vacancy rate across the
council
- £2m from reducing borrowing costs
- £2m in efficiency savings and service transformation
changes in adult social care
- £711k through a reduction in residential care
placements and increased use of foster carers
- £339k in increased income from sale of recyclables
- £268k in increased income from garden waste collections
The
council consulted residents asking for their views on the budget proposals. The
main concerns raised were about the impact of the introduction of parking
charges in Midsomer Norton and Radstock on local businesses and proposals to
move some services to Bath Central Library.
