We are reviewing the feedback received and will publish more information in due course.
Engagement 2023
Closed consultations and engagements
Physical activity programmes in Leicestershire
Date: 20 September - 1 November 2023
We asked
Leicestershire County Council has a duty to improve the health of its residents. In Leicestershire, 1 in 4 adults (21-26%) do less than 30 minutes of physical activity per week (are inactive) and research shows that inactive individuals can make substantial improvements to their health by becoming active. Being active reduces the risk of and helps with the management of many common diseases, supports positive mental wellbeing and provides opportunities for social connections.
The council is facing financial challenges and needs to make difficult decisions regarding the services provided. A saving of £250,000 from the current physical activity budget of £693,000 has been proposed as part of our budget plans, which were consulted on in December 2022.
From 20 September to 1 November 2023, we asked people to have their say on proposed changes to our physical activity programmes in Leicestershire.
The proposals consulted on were:
For Public Health funding to target those that are most likely to be inactive or have long term health conditions, as this is the key priority.
This will include:
- Physical activity programmes that target those experiencing the highest levels of ill health, including those aimed at preventing falls in older adults, improving recovery from cancer surgery and recovery from heart or lung conditions.
- Physical activity programmes targeted at adults with an existing health condition including helping people to lose weight, helping people with chronic pain and supervised activity programmes for people who are inactive and have a health condition.
- Physical activity programmes targeted at children to improve basic movement skills and support those with existing health conditions. Examples include physical activity for children that need support to lose weight and programmes that help children develop core skills such as catching a ball, skipping, hopping and core strength.
- Physical activity programmes to target and support the inactive population to become more active such as walking and running groups, and delivering marketing, campaigns and giving information and advice
For Public Health funding to no longer contribute towards:
- Physical activity programmes delivered in the community which are aimed at the general population who are already active and those without a health condition.
- Physical activity programmes already costed into existing contracts with providers.
- The physical activity graduate trainee programme, which provides graduates with training opportunities in the physical activity sector.
- Physical activity programmes that are delivered in schools that target children and young people who are already active.
It is important to note that the public health funding is not the only funding to support physical activity and does not fund the whole physical activity offer across Leicestershire.
You said
The consultation has now closed. Over 320 people across Leicestershire responded to the consultation.
Your feedback on the proposals will now be reviewed and be considered as part of our plans to make savings to our physical activity programmes.
What happens next
We will analyse the results, and a report will be presented to the council’s Cabinet in winter 2023 for a decision before any changes are implemented.
Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan Market Harborough area
Date: 26 September - 24 October 2023
We asked
Following the adoption of our Cycling and Walking Strategy and Action Plan in 2021, we're now in the process of developing LCWIPs for areas surrounding Leicester city, in addition to supporting district councils who choose to develop LCWIPs for other areas.
What happens next
Your views will help develop an attractive and joined-up cycling and walking network in Leicestershire.
Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans Loughborough area and South of Leicester area
Date: 15 August - 12 September 2023
We asked
All of us travel. Whether to get to work, school, shopping or for leisure, travel is a central part of our daily lives. Much of this travel is by private car, but here in Leicestershire there is great potential for a better future that supports people to cycle and walk for more of their journeys, improving our physical and mental health, minimising negative impacts on the environment, and reducing traffic congestion.
Following the adoption of our Cycling and Walking Strategy and Action Plan in 2021, we're now in the process of developing Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans (LCWIPs) for county towns and the urban areas surrounding Leicester city.
In practical terms, LCWIPs are long term infrastructure plans to create cycling, walking and wheeling networks that help to encourage and enable our communities to travel more actively for life. The plans will be used to secure funding for delivery of improvements. They will evolve over time to reflect new routes and priorities as schemes are delivered and changes in communities occur such as new planned homes, shops, schools, and leisure sites.
The Loughborough Area and South of Leicester Area LCWIP are the first of these plans to be developed.
Engagement has formed an important part of helping shape these LCWIPs during their development. Last year we asked you to provide your feedback on the early draft cycling, walking and wheeling networks for these two areas.
You said
You wanted:
- More cycling, walking and wheeling spaces with routes that are separate from other ways of travelling and protected by physical infrastructure
- New and improved cycling, walking and wheeling routes
- Better and wider connected cycling, walking and wheeling networks
- Clearer continuous routes with better signage
- More cycle parking
- New and improved crossings and junctions prioritising cycling, walking and wheeling
We did
We have used this feedback received to help develop plans that set out the priority cycling, walking and wheeling routes for improvement going forward, and also show some potential concept ideas of how routes could be improved to the latest high quality design standards.
These concept ideas are just the start of the process to design and ultimately deliver improvement schemes on the network, with further local public engagement feedback being a key part of the ongoing process.
Your feedback helped shape the final LCWIP documents that have now been to Cabinet for approval. The documents detail how your engagement was incorporated.
Frequently asked questions
What is an LCWIP?
A Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) is a 10-year infrastructure plan, setting out a prioritised cycling and walking route network which has the greatest potential to increase levels of walking and cycling in the area, to benefit the most people. The document will also include some concept scheme ideas of how the network could potentially be improved.
When will the network be improved?
The LCWIP sets out the council’s long-term vision and proposals for investment in a prioritised cycling and walking network. Delivery of LCWIPs will be dependent on us securing the necessary funding, including from Government and from developers (for example, builders of new housing estates).
Once the Plan is adopted it will be used to secure funding from central Government, via bids, and from land developer obligations and contributions through the planning process, to deliver the improvements schemes going forward.
Why is an LCWIP being developed?
Central Government have set out that local authorities that have LCWIP’s in place will be best placed to secure funding to deliver cycling and walking schemes and programmes in future. The LCWIP will also support future growth set out in the Local Plan to help ensure cycling and walking are at the heart of future development, creating sustainable greener places for communities to live, work and visit.
How will feedback be used?
Following the closing of the engagement all feedback will be analysed and reviewed by the LCWIP development team. Your feedback will shape the final form of the LCWIP documents, and a summary of the engagement will be presented to Cabinet in November 2023.
What do Prestige, Primary, Secondary, Local and Link routes mean?
Sections of the network are identified by their use and how many people are expected to use the route, these are generally defined in the Government guidance as:
- Prestige walking zones: Very busy areas of towns, with high public space and street scene contribution.
- Primary Walking Routes: Busy urban shopping and business areas, and main pedestrian routes.
- Primary Cycle routes: High number of cycle movements linking large residential areas to key destinations such as a town centre.
- Secondary Cycle routes: Medium number of cycle movements linking key trip attractors such as schools, colleges and employment sites.
- Secondary Walking Routes: Medium usage routes through local areas feeding into primary routes, local shopping centres, etc.
- Local Cycle routes: Lower number of movements, catering for local trips, often linking to primary or secondary desire lines.
- Link footways: Linking local access footways through urban areas and busy rural footways.
Why does the plan not include every cycling and walking route or cover a wider area?
Subject to funding, Leicestershire County Council is intending to develop LCWIP’s for all county towns and urban areas of the county surrounding Leicester City, as these are the areas that offer the greatest potential to increase levels of walking and cycling. In addition, the council is supporting District authorities developing their own LCWIP’s for other areas.
There will also be a limited amount of funding available for delivery of cycling and walking infrastructure and programme from central Government, and land developers as part of future growth. Therefore, any funding secured needs to be spent wisely on improvements to cycling and walking routes and areas that benefit the most people, to enable and encourage them to travel more sustainably for their shorter journeys.
What if I live in an area that is not covered by an LCWIP?
An area outside of an LCWIP area does not prevent cycling and walking improvements being made where funding is identified and where they would be benefit in encouraging significant numbers of people to cycle and walk. New and improvements to existing, cycling, and walking facilities will still be expected from land developers as part of future growth in all areas, including outside of LCWIP areas.
Will the LCWIP be updated?
LCWIPs are not static documents. They will be reviewed at key points and updated to take account of changing priorities as schemes are delivered and needs of cyclists, pedestrians, and equestrians evolve.
Other information
An executive summary and associated evidence documents can be found at Adopted Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans.
LCWIPs will be reviewed 3, 5, and 10 years after publication.
Moving traffic enforcement
Date: 4 September - 16 October 2023
We asked
We are considering applying for new enforcement powers to improve safety and reduce congestion on the roads. These powers will allow us to enforce moving traffic contraventions such as driving through a No Entry sign, making banned turns, entering yellow box junctions when the exit is not clear, and driving where motor vehicles are prohibited, such as in pedestrianised town centres.
Currently, only the police can enforce these contraventions, but recent changes in legislation now allow local authorities outside of London to apply to do so also. As part of the application process, we must demonstrate where and how the powers would be used if approved.
We are interested in these powers because nationally there has been success using cameras to enforce these contraventions. By ensuring that the restrictions are clearly marked, and the presence of cameras is indicated by information signs, this has led to considerable reductions in contraventions and improvements to road safety.
We have identified two initial locations for camera enforcement, and these are:
- the junction of Cloverfield and the A47 Normandy Way, Hinckley.
- the junction of Cornfield and the A47 Normandy Way, Hinckley.
What happens next?
All responses will be acknowledged and reported to the Lead Member for Highways, Transportation and Flooding before a decision is made on applying for the powers from the Department for Transport.
If the application is successful and the powers are granted, we will announce the start date for enforcement and issue warning notices in compliance with the legislation.
Living Well with Dementia Strategy 2024-2028
Date: 17 July - 22 September 2023
We asked
The Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland (LLR) Dementia Programme Board launched a consultation from Monday 17 July to Friday 22 September 2023 to invite residents and stakeholders to have their say on the revised Living Well with Dementia Strategy 2024-2028
We asked residents for their thoughts on the strategy, which sets out the ambition to support people to live well with dementia.
Key priorities were identified to support people affected by dementia specifically those with memory concerns, those with a dementia diagnosis, their families and carers and the organisations supporting them.
You said
Over 200 people across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland responded to the consultation and your feedback will now be reviewed and be used to develop our detailed action plans which will support this strategy.
What happens next?
A report detailing the consultation feedback will be brought back to the council’s Cabinet later this year for a decision before any changes are implemented.
Homeless support services
Date: 28 June - 3 September 2023
We asked
Like councils across the country, we are facing growing financial pressure alongside increasing demand, so we need to look at providing services in a different way.
The current contract for homelessness support services ends in March 2024.
Following a review of the current service, and the financial challenges facing the council, we consulted on proposals to change the way we provide support to individuals who are facing homelessness or who are homeless.
The proposal was for the council to stop funding a dedicated homeless support service, and instead to provide support through the council’s existing public health services, where a wider number of people are eligible for support.
Supporting documents
Supporting documents that were part of the consultation (note: some sections are no longer applicable, as the consultation has now closed)
Cabinet Report 23 June 2023 Part A: Review of Homeless Support Services. Report of the Director of Public Health.
What happens next
The results of the consultation were discussed by the Council’s Cabinet in November 2023.
Cabinet Report 24 November 2023 Review of Homeless Support Services – Outcome of Consultation. Report of the Director of Public Health.
You can watch a recording of the Cabinet meeting - 24 November 2023 (YouTube).
Cabinet approved the proposal which means that the current contract for homeless support will come to its natural end on 31 March 2024 and the focus will shift to broadening our care for people at risk of homelessness, making sure our support is available county-wide through:
- widening eligibility to anyone who is at risk of becoming homeless
- providing access to support from a central point
- providing a greater focus on the health and wellbeing of individuals
- working with key stakeholders to strengthen the pathways into support services
This will be achieved primarily through the First Contact Plus and Local Area Coordination services.
Full details of the council’s cabinet decision - 24 November 2023.
Local Flood Risk Management Strategy
Date: 5 June - 13 August 2023
We asked
Flooding has had a significant impact on local communities and businesses in Leicestershire. Climate change is predicted to increase the risk of local flooding and the impacts will be felt more widely.
We have to produce and maintain a Local Flood Risk Management Strategy for Leicestershire. In 2015, the first Local Flood Risk Management Strategy for Leicestershire was published. The Strategy was developed to understand and manage local flood risk within the county, by creating better knowledge of our risks, better co-operation between organisations involved in flood risk management and better communication with the public.
An update to the 2015 Local Flood Risk Management Strategy was required and we are now seeking the opinions of residents and businesses as to the proposed changes.
Now you can have your say on the proposed changes to the Strategy as well as an opportunity to provide observations about any history of flooding, both in your property and locally in Leicestershire.
About our proposed Strategy
The strategy looks at how the risk of flooding can be managed from small ‘ordinary’ watercourses such as ditches, streams and brooks which overflow, surface water (where water collects after extreme rainfall), and ground water which rises up from underlying rocks or water flowing from underground springs.
Among the key objectives of the Strategy are:
- Effective planning policies, guidance and approval processes to help ensure that development is not at risk and doesn’t increase risk of flooding elsewhere.
- Information and support regarding maintenance of watercourses by owners of land which relates to or near to riverbanks.
- Details of how local projects are being developed for at-risk communities.
We have identified a number of measures to achieve the objectives. These are detailed in the Strategy Action Plan which will be monitored and updated regularly.
Supporting documents
Find the detailed commitments below.
Action plan
The Action Plan lists the measures proposed to achieve the Strategy objectives. It includes timescales, benefits, and funding sources.
Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA) policies
The policies describe how the county council as LLFA will fulfil certain duties or exercise legislation. Each policy is introduced in the relevant objective section of the Strategy.
Assessment of local flood risk
This is a live assessment of local flood risk, including consideration of the impacts of climate change. The assessment will be updated periodically as new information becomes available.
Strategic Environmental Assessment
The Strategic Environmental Assessment meets the requirements of the Environmental Assessment of Plans and Programmes Regulations 2004 (the ‘Strategic Environmental Assessment Regulations’). It provides an assessment of the Strategy objectives and measures against Assessment objectives with economic, environmental, and social scope, whilst Appendix B provides the policy context for the Strategy, including related plans and legislation.
Habitat Regulations Assessment
The Habitat Regulations Assessment meets the requirements of the ‘Conservation of Habitats and Species (amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (‘the Habitat Regulations Assessment Regulations’). It considers the impacts of the Strategy upon European designated sites, such as the Mease Special Area of Conservation.
What happens next
During the consultation, we received regular updates on responses and now that the consultation has closed, we'll review all of the feedback and consider any necessary amendments.
Your feedback will help shape the final Strategy and a summary of the consultation will be available to view on here in due course.
Street lighting service changes
Date: 6 July - 3 August 2023
We asked
Leicestershire County Council continues to face significant financial challenges with the authority’s budget gap set to rise to nearly £90m by 2026. The council is also committed to reducing the impact of climate change.
Through its Medium-Term Financial Strategy, the council has identified potential savings of approximately £500,000 with a street lighting proposal, which also reduces energy consumption by 1.508m kWh and carbon emissions by 315 tonnes a year.
Advances in LED lighting - and their management systems - mean the council has an opportunity to tweak lighting levels during less-busy periods. Currently, all streetlights are lit to various levels across the county, some of which gradually dim through the night.
Following approval at the Cabinet on 23 June 2023, the council is now launching a consultation to seek views on dimming most streetlights in the county to levels of 30 percent from 8pm (down from 50%), depending on the location, and to understand where we should have exceptions to this approach.
The majority of the residential street lighting provision dims to 30% at 10pm and visiting a residential street after 10pm will help give residents an understanding of what this lower lighting level looks like.
Supporting documents
Cabinet Report 23 June, 2023 Street lighting proposed service changes, report of the Director of Environment and Transport.
Frequently asked questions
What is the council proposing to change?
The council is proposing to dim all street lights to 30% from 8pm, rather than from 10pm. Most residential street lights are already dimmed to 50% between 8pm and 10pm.
The council does not propose to change the lighting regimes in the major town centres across the county.
Why is the council proposing to make this change?
There are two reasons why this change is proposed. These are financial and environmental. The council needs to make significant savings over the next four years. It is also committed to becoming a 'net zero' authority by 2030. Net zero refers to the point when greenhouse gas emissions being emitted into the atmosphere are balanced with their removal, so there is no overall addition to atmospheric levels.
Why does the council need to make financial savings?
The council’s financial position has been very challenging for many years because of more than a decade of austerity, combined with significant growth in spending pressures, particularly from social care, waste and special educational needs.
Furthermore, all services are being affected by high inflation, especially in relation to construction, fuel, and energy prices, hence the council faces a difficult challenge in balancing its finances each year. The council’s latest Medium Term Financial Strategy identifies further savings totalling £80million for the period 2023-27.
All these issues require the council to be flexible and adaptable. This is one of several initiatives being considered across all service areas to save money.
Will there be any environmental benefits from this proposal?
Yes. The proposal will save around 1.5 million kWh of energy which equates to 315 tonnes of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases (known as CO2e). The council has committed to becoming a net-zero carbon authority by 2030.
Why is the council looking to make savings from street lighting and not on other things like back-office costs?
The council has already made significant savings in the past few years, including reviewing all our back-office activities, and there are no ‘quick wins’ to be made. The council’s Medium Term Financial Strategy 2023-27 makes the scale of the required savings clear – including those from street lighting – and these proposals will help achieve the required financial targets.
What is the cost of energy for the council’s street lights and how much will this change save?
The energy costs for street lighting during 2023/24 is expected to be £3M. The proposed change is anticipated to save the council in the region of £500k per annum.
What other options for street lighting savings did the council consider?
The council considered 3 other options:
- Doing nothing
- Extending Part-Night Lighting to all street lights (ie. switching off all street lights between midnight and 5:30am)
- Only lighting between September and March each year.
None of these are being taken forward at this time.
Doesn’t the council have to provide street lighting all the time?
No. The council has the power to install street lighting, but not a duty to do so. When it chooses to provide lighting for the highway, it must maintain it in a safe condition. The council does, however, have a duty to consider the effects of its decisions on crime and disorder.
The council has no obligation to provide light to private frontages beyond the highway.
Will the proposed change comply with current design standards?
Not everywhere. Design standards permit lighting levels to be reduced to reflect the amount of traffic on the road, which is why they are dimmed during the latter part of the night and during the early morning. There will be some roads that no longer comply with the standards under this proposal and the council has adopted a risk-based approach to street lighting in these areas.
How much darker will it be at 8pm?
In residential areas, the proposed lighting level at 8pm will be the same as it currently is from 10pm to midnight. Although it isn’t easy to show the full effect during the lighter evenings, you should be able to get an idea by looking out later at night. During the months with longer hours of daylight, the proposed change will have less impact.
What about night-time crime and anti-social behaviour?
The perception of night-time crime is usually worse than the reality, but that can also be an issue.
The council works closely with the police at local level by responding to requests for trial periods of improved lighting to assist with any operational activities that they may be undertaking.
What about the impact on highway safety?
Conflict areas on the highway (eg. busy junctions) and other highway features (eg. speed cushions) are lit all night and will still be visible if this proposed change is implemented.
What happens next?
During the consultation, we received regular updates on your responses and now that the consultation has closed, we'll review all of the feedback and consider any necessary amendments.
A summary of the consultation will be available to view here, in due course. A report detailing the consultation feedback will be brought back to the council’s Cabinet later this year for a decision before any changes are implemented.
Ashby canal transfer
Date: 20 February 2023 - 26 March 2023
We asked
We’re proposing to transfer part of the route of the Ashby Canal to the Ashby Canal Association (ACA) and welcome suggestions on any alternative ways the council could pursue the restoration of the canal.
We previously carried out a consultation in June 2019 and now that we are getting ready to transfer part of the Ashby Canal to the ACA, we would like to hear your views
Leicestershire County Council has led on the restoration of the Ashby Canal since 1994, including the purchase of land for that purpose, under a Transport and Works Act Order (TWAO).
The council remains committed to restoration of the canal but is unable to progress as quickly as stakeholders would like, owing to lack of resources.
The next section of canal identified for potential restoration is between Snarestone and Measham. The council are considering transferring the ownership and the obligations and responsibilities under the TWAO in seeking to restore this section to the Ashby Canal Association.
The use of the land would be restricted to the building of a canal. The council would retain the ownership of the other sections of canal, as shown on the map below.
You can find out more about the charity on the Ashby Canal Association website.
What happens next
The consultation closed in March, we’ll analyse the results and share them later in 2023.
Sexual health services in Leicestershire and Rutland
Date: 16 January - 12 March 2023
Sexual health services for Leicestershire and Rutland comprise of the Integrated Sexual Health Service (ISHS) and Community Based Services (CBS).
We asked
The Integrated Sexual Health Service (ISHS) is currently jointly commissioned by Leicester City, Leicestershire County and Rutland County Councils.
This service has main clinics (hub clinics) alongside several smaller (spoke) clinics.
Hub clinics are in:
- Haymarket Centre (Leicester)
- Loughborough Health Centre
Spoke clinics are in:
- Rutland Memorial Hospital
- Hinckley Health Centre
- St. Luke’s Hospital (Market Harborough)
- Coalville Community Hospital.
The service currently provides a range of services including:
- sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment
- a specific young people’s service
- psychosexual counselling
- contraceptive services
Community Based Services are commissioned individually by each authority and provide contraceptive services in communities. This may be delivered by either your GP or a local pharmacy.
Why we are consulting
In Leicestershire and Rutland both the Integrated Sexual Health Service (ISHS) and Community Based Services (CBS) contracts end on 31 March 2024 meaning that Leicestershire and Rutland need to set up new contracts.
We are seeking your views on what the sexual health services should offer and how they might work. The new contracts will provide an opportunity to make changes, and ensure services better meets users’ needs.
We also need to understand how people might be affected by any proposed changes to help shape future services.
Consultation for the Leicestershire and Rutland’s Sexual Health Services was approved by Leicestershire County Council’s Cabinet on 16 December 2022 and Rutland County Council’s Cabinet on 12 January 2023.
What are the proposals?
A summary of the proposed changes is listed below:
- changes to the way the services are contracted - the plans are that Leicestershire and Rutland will work together due to their similar geographical make-up and similar needs of their populations, which differ from that of Leicester City
- hub and spoke model of sexual health clinic provision to be retained and delivered from suitable premises and to be based on need
- expand the accessibility of chlamydia screening services
- dedicated long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) (coil/implants) provision within community settings
- expand emergency hormonal contraception (EHC) provision locally
The following services will continue to be available:
- condom distribution service for under 25s
- availability of online sexual health services
- vending machines in easy-to-access venues with condoms, STI testing kits and pregnancy testing kits available
- providing professional advice over the telephone to help you manage your sexual health better
- increasing the availability of advice and information that is on the sexual health services website
This consultation is about sexual health services that include prevention, testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections and contraceptive services. These services can be used by people no matter where they live.
It does not include the HIV treatment and care services that are provided by University Hospitals of Leicester.
There will still be an open access sexual health service in Leicester City Hub, which will be contracted by Leicester City Council.
What happens next?
After the consultation closes in March, we’ll analyse the results and share the findings before going to full council in April 2023.
Your views on byelaws in Leicestershire's Country Parks
Date: 1 December 2022 – 23 February 2023
We asked
Green spaces have proven to be a lifeline in recent years. Currently Leicestershire’s parks and green spaces have a set of byelaws which were introduced in 2003. Following developments in technology and usage changes across our green spaces, we are looking to update them, and we would like to hear from you.
Local byelaws are seen as additional layer of protection that enables visitors to experience the county’s green spaces at their best while partaking in activities that they love.
In 2003, the county council approved a set of byelaws that covered all aspects of country parks, from protecting wildlife and the environment through to vehicle management and visitor activities.
The new proposals will seek to bring the byelaws up to date reflecting site usage and technology changes that have happened during the last nineteen years.
What are the proposals?
The proposed changes to the current byelaws are as follows:
- Inclusion of a definition of electrically powered cycles
- Prohibition of use of BBQs and camping stoves
- Inclusion and prohibition of sky lanterns
- Inclusion and prohibition of the release of fire works
- Improved clarity over the use of model boats
- Inclusion and prohibition of dogs from designated playground areas
- Inclusion of dogs on leads areas and dogs on leads by direction
- Inclusion of and clarity on the use of model electric cars
- Inclusion of and clarity on the use model aircraft and drones
- Inclusion, prohibition of and clarity on permission for flyers, graffiti, musical entertainment and Firearms
Please see the documents below which show the byelaws from 2003 and the proposed byelaws that, if approved, would be introduced next year.
What happens next?
After the consultation closes in February, we’ll analyse the results and share the findings with the Development Control and Regulatory Board before going to full council in March 2023.
Budget 2023 - 2027
Date: 19 December 2022 - 15 January 2023
We asked
We sought views from residents, businesses, organisations and staff on what they think about our budget proposals, to help shape the final proposals.
Our budget
How much is the council’s budget?
Our budget for next year is £512m. Our income is mainly from Council Tax, as well as government grants for specific projects.
What period does the budget cover?
We publish a four-year budget plan every year, known as the medium term financial strategy. It includes areas where investment is planned to meet increased demand – known as growth – and areas earmarked for savings.
How much is spent on different services?
The chart breaks down spend and income over the next four years. The financial outlook remains extremely tough with our budget gap set to rise to over £90m by 2026.
Our budget
At a glance:
- £57m more to support vulnerable people - to pay for more home and residential care, and support people with physical disabilities, learning disabilities and mental health needs. The number of home care users has increased by 600 since January 2020.
- £59m of efficiency savings - reducing back office costs by maximising digital technology, simplifying processes and providing the right level of support to residents
- Service cuts totalling £3m - including reviewing waste sites, streetlighting, Green Plaques and Shire Grants
- A 4.99 per cent Council Tax rise for 2023/24 - this equates to £1.39 a week for a Band D home and generates £17.7m for front line services. It includes a two per cent adult social care precept
- £509m four-year capital pot - for the cost of building roads, schools and other one-off projects
- An extra £1m to reduce the impact of service cuts and boost road maintenance – including £100,000 to continue rolling out community speed cameras. This follows the budget consultation and better than expected funding from Government earlier this year. Proposals will be drawn up over the next 12 months on options for this money, following detailed consultations on specific planned savings.
Council Tax
Find out more about how Council Tax is used to provide our services and more on the adult social care precept:
What happens next?
Following the consultation, our cabinet agreed final proposals before the budget was agreed at a meeting of the county council on 22 February 2023.
Consultations setting out more details about any specific service reductions would run before any changes are made.