Have your say on Central Bedfordshire Council’s draft budget
Date Added: 13/12/2023
Shortly after the Independents became the new administration of Central Bedfordshire Council in May, the council asked for your views on key priorities. Over 3,000 people took part, and the key priorities were:
roads and pavements
care for the elderly
protecting children at risk, and supporting families
education, especially Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) support
The new administration was adamant these key areas should be protected with the new budget.
However, the council is under huge financial pressure as there have been substantial increases in costs for services such as educational transport and Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) provision. Meanwhile, inflation has been running at nearly 10 per cent for a whole year. What’s more, the financial plans proposed and agreed in February 2023 by the previous council are now over budget.
Faced with a big gap between the council’s income, and the cost of services, the council has tried to squeeze out every penny of savings. It is also proposing Council Tax will go up by 5 per cent to provide the funding for core services. Even with these measures and using around £16million of council reserves, the gap between income and proposed spend still sits at £1.9million.
This gap must be filled by the end of February and this consultation is your chance to tell us how you want it done.
Option 1: Increased use of reserves
The current plan proposes the use of around £16million of reserves in the year to come. Increased use of reserves is not without risk as it would reduce financial reserves at a time when there is likely to be continued economic pressures. Such a strategy is not sustainable in the long run and additional savings will likely need to be identified for the future.
Option 2: Charging for garden waste
Many other local authorities charge for collecting garden waste. Doing so would reduce costs by £2.1million based on 46 per cent uptake at £55 per bin. The winter collection break would continue.
Option 3: Reducing bus subsidies
The council spends £1.45million on bus services.
£258,000 of this is used to support three community transport providers (Dial-a-Ride, Buzzer Buses and Greensands Community Transport) to provide door-to-door accessible transport services. It is not proposed to reduce this funding.
The council also funds 37 bus routes where at least some of the services do not make sufficient money to be run by the private sector without additional public money as a subsidy. A reduction in this subsidy might not mean cutting whole routes but would likely result in fewer buses in some areas. The council currently spends £1.2million a year on these subsidies, and any reduction would free up funding for other council services.
Option 4: Something else
If you think there is another service the council provides which should be cut, let us know.
You can take part in the Draft Budget consultation by following the link here.