The following information has been received from CBC
As of 4th Jan 2022 CBC we are starting our consultation on the draft budget. The consultation will be widely promoted through our digital and conventional communication channels. Reponses to the consultation must be received before 31 January 2022.
Although the proposals are subject to Executive approval next week, we want to give residents as much time as possible to have their say on the proposals, therefore we are opening the consultation for feedback from today.
The headlines from the budget reports are as follows:
• Next year we anticipate spending some £468million on a full range of services.
• We’re also continuing to focus on efficiency with £9.6million of efficiency proposals for next year.
• But we continue to face big increases in demands, particularly in providing care for more older people and adults with disabilities, providing more support for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and children who need our protection.
• To bridge the gap between what we need and what we anticipate in terms of income, we propose to:
o apply the Adult Social Care Precept of a 1% increase on council tax to contribute towards funding care services, and
o increase council tax by 0.95% for funding other services.
• Additionally, the consultation will highlight proposals for a further £240million of capital investments, including schools (including £10million on specialist school places for SEND), roads, care homes, leisure provision and other infrastructure projects.
The consultation is available online. https://www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/info/141/budget/1086/budget_2022?utm_medium=email&utm_source=tpc&utm_campaign=budget2022
Paper copies will be available in our libraries. Residents can continue to request a paper copy by calling us on 0300 300 8000.
If you would like additional printed copies, please let us know by emailing: communications@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk
Feedback from the consultation will be collated and presented to the February Executive, in advance of decision making on the finalised budget which will be recommended to Full Council.