Proposals to increase council tax in Cornwall
The Council will consider draft budget proposals at a meeting next week
Draft budget proposals - including an increase in council tax - will be discussed at a meeting by Cornwall Council's cabinet next week.
The authority have to achieve savings of £29m for next year in order to maintain a balanced budget, with a further £45m of savings required by 2027/28.
The council say the plans aim to "continue providing support for the most vulnerable, so everyone can start well, live well and age well" - adding that they will "protect essential services for residents and deliver savings by improving efficiency":
"To help meet these financial challenges and return a balanced budget, the plans include new efficiency measures and income generation worth £11m on top of measures worth £18m already planned for 2024/25."
Under the draft proposals council tax would rise by 2.99% which, in addition to the government's 2% levy for social care, would see a total increase of 4.99% - equivalent to an extra £1.73 a week for a Band D property.
Council tax support for those struggling to pay bills would be protected, including support for care leavers up to the age of 25.
The plans also include a proposal that the council treat experiences of care as a protected characteristic, including people of any age with experience of being in children’s social care.
Cabinet will also discuss the Director of Public Health’s Annual Report, which examines the health inequalities and challenges that communities face and how best to address them.
Cllr David Harris, deputy leader of the council and portfolio holder for resources, said: "Like other local authorities we continue to face enormous financial challenges and must work doubly hard to find creative solutions that allow us to meet them head-on.
"We have done this by finding new efficiency measures and ways to generate income that will help us return a balanced budget.
"These proposals focus on our priorities and reflect our commitment to deliver value for money for residents while protecting frontline services and supporting the most vulnerable among us.
"Following our review of these plans the details will be put before the council’s various scrutiny committees and I look forward to receiving their feedback."
The cabinet meeting takes place on September 13 at 10.00am.