Draft budget for Buckinghamshire Council centres around Covid-19
The pandemic has massively influenced the proposed budget plans
Last updated 5th Jan 2021
Buckinghamshire Council's proposed budget has been heavily influenced by the pandemic.
Buckinghamshire Council's Cabinet is meeting this morning to discuss the proposed Budget for 2020/2021, as well as the Capital Programme.
Both of these have been hugely influenced by the coronavirus pandemic and the ongoing uncertainty it has created.
Coronavirus has impacted a range of aspects for the budget, including the level of government funding and the difficulty to accurately predict longer-term implications from it.
The key proposals contained within the draft budget are:
- Reductions in both Council Tax (£5m) and Business Rate (£4.8m) receipts as a result of declining economic activity
- Significant increases in corporate contingencies to mitigate the increased risk (especially for social care placements, leisure providers and the wider economic uncertainties) arising from the pandemic
- The use of £2, of General Fun reserves to create an earmarked reserve to mitigate economic risk in 2021/22
- Additional investment in both Adults and Children’s Social Care budgets to address the continued increases in demand, cost, complexity of the cases managed and market sustainability
- A reduction in expected income levels from parking of £5.3m, from Leisure services of £1.9m and from property rental income of £1.2m
- The addition of £4.5m in Home to School Transport budgets to reflect increased complexity in Special Need provision, increased demand and lost income
- The delivery of savings of £13m in 2021/22, which includes a further £3.3m savings from the creation of the Unitary Council and £2.2m of transformational savings in Adult Social Care
Council tax is expected to rise by 3.99%, which includes 1.99% from Buckinghamshire Council and 2% required by the government for Adult Social Care.
The Capital Programme is presented over 4 years as many schemes span multiple financial years.
Bucks Council explains it is "where schemes are brought forward with a financially viable business case these schemes can be added to the Capital Programmes, subject to due diligence and final Cabinet approval."
Key highlights within the draft programme are:
- £39.1m to support Economic Growth & Regeneration
- £161.1m on schools, and school improvement projects
- £128.4m on Strategic Highways maintenance including £62.4m on the Strategic Highways maintenance programme, £17.4m on Plane & Patch and £8.3m on Footways
- £62.6m on Strategic Transport & Infrastructure
- £19.9m investment in Waste, primarily on vehicle replacement
- £15.5m to support Housing and Homelessness including affordable Housing action plans and disabled facilities grants
- £14.9m investment on Leisure Centres