Our budget explained
Over the past decade, councils have taken the strain when it comes to public service cuts with, according to the Local Government Association (LGA), a £15 billion real-terms cut in funding to councils, which equates to around 60p in every £1. This is a staggering figure that has been cut away from councils that provide hundreds of valuable services to residents.
For us locally in Warrington, during the 2023/24 financial year, we estimate having to save at least another £13 million this financial year.
When we think about the demand for our services, particularly care for the elderly and vulnerable, this makes managing our budget a difficult task.
Council tax proposals
To help us maintain essential services and present a balanced budget, our proposals include a 4.98% rise in council tax, which will need to be approved by a meeting of the Full Council.
No council would want to increase council tax – we know that it means more residents paying out of their pocket, but the reality is we have no alternative if we want to continue providing our essential services.
Our proposal to increase council tax isn’t unique – with most councils in England (up to 95%) expected to see a 5% in their council tax rates.
Despite this proposed increase in council tax, we cannot forget that we are one of the lowest funded councils in the country so, while this increase will cost our residents more, it will be a smaller rate increase compared to many other areas.
What does my council tax actually go towards?
We provide lots of services that people see – fixing potholes, gritting, emptying bins, maintaining parks and cutting grass – but the vast majority of our spend, over 60p in every £1, goes towards protecting and supporting our vulnerable, frail or elderly residents.
This includes:
- providing care to people who have just been discharged from hospital
- looking after vulnerable children and working hard to keep families together
- providing support to our residents with special educational needs and disabilities
- ensuring our social workers can keep working to support our residents who need additional help
- providing accommodation from those at risk of homelessness
- giving care and support to people with mental health issues
In short, looking after people who need care in their own home costs us around two thirds of our budget. Not many people know this, because they are traditionally the less visible services we provide.