Rutland County Council proposes budget with tax increase and call for fairer funding
What's in the budget?
Rutland County Council has released its draft budget for 2024/25, outlining how much money will be needed to run local services and where it will come from. The total budget is £49.1 million, covering everything from roads and recycling to libraries, childcare, and care for older people.
Challenges and solutions:
Increased costs: The Council says it faces rising costs due to economic instability and growing demand for services.
To address this, they propose a combination of: Council Tax increase: 2.99% increase, with an additional 2% Adult Social Care Precept. This would mean an average increase of £7.72 per month for a Band D property.
Savings: £1.8 million in savings through various measures.
Reserves: Using money from reserves to invest in long-term financial sustainability.
Call for fairer funding:
Despite these efforts, the Council argues that national government funding is not enough. They are calling for a fairer funding formula that would provide Rutland with more resources per household, as they currently rely heavily on Council Tax compared to other areas.
Public consultation:
Residents are encouraged to share their feedback on the draft budget and the Council's refreshed Corporate Strategy through a public consultation running until February 2nd 2024
You can participate online or by calling 01572 722 577.
Key message:
The Council says it is working hard to balance service provision with financial constraints while advocating for fairer funding from the government. Your feedback can help shape the final budget and ensure it reflects the needs of the community.
You can read the full draft budget here:
You can complete Rutland County Councils Budget Survey here:
www.surveymonkey.com/r/B69CW2K
Feedback will be reported to Council in February for consideration before final budget approval.
Residents wishing to find out more about the budget can head to Oakham Market
This Wednesday 24th January and meet with councillors to discuss the draft budget.
Councillors will be there from 10am to 1pm.
