Public consultation on budget for Cornwall... including jump in council tax
The plans include millions of pounds of investment in schools and adult social care too
A public consultation into Cornwall Council’s draft budget for 2022/23 has begun after the plans were endorsed by the Cabinet committee.
Officials say the proposals, which would see council tax rise by 2.99%, the equivalent of 96p per week for a Band D property, protect crucial frontline services for residents.
They feature £1.3 billion of capital investment, including support for economic growth projects that create homes and jobs for local people and reflect the priorities of residents.
Millions of pounds has been earmarked for new school places and adult social care too.
How will Cornwall's money be spent?
• Investing for the future of children and young people in Cornwall with £93 million to provide 550 new school places and repair school buildings
• £45.5 million extra investment in adult social care services. The council says it will invest for the future with £29 million for projects including providing communities with warm, dry and energy efficient homes and investment in our fire and rescue service through a targeted appliance replacement programme.
• Investing for the future of communities with just over £1.1 billion to support economic growth projects that create homes and jobs for local people, which the council says will allow it to lever in additional funding from external investors and also roll out a new waste service.
• Investing for the future with £54 million for projects to "put the council at the forefront of modern, flexible, low carbon ways of working, maintaining and transforming our office estate".
The majority of savings will come from reducing the amount the Council spends on contracts and through proposed workforce reductions.
The plans will now be available for comment for the next six weeks.
They will then come back to Cabinet before a final budget is considered by the full council in February.
Introducing the draft proposals to cabinet, Cllr David Harris, deputy leader and portfolio holder for resources, said: "The draft budget that we have presented today represents some really tough decisions.
"Although there will be some reduction in services, it is important to remember that we still spend £1.2bn of your money on behalf of Cornwall with a further £1.3bn capital investment in Cornwall’s future and that we have done all we can to protect our vital front-line services.
"We will use the forthcoming weeks to ensure that that budget proposals are consulted upon widely and to further develop our thinking given what you have told us. Recommendation 1 requests that the new draft Council Business Plan and draft budget proposals are approved to form the basis of this public consultation on the budget to be launched today.
"This will allow us to deliver a legally balanced budget in February which is as fair to residents as possible and whilst protecting front line services.
"In summary, this is a draft budget for Cornwall, focussed on our new priorities, with difficult decisions taken in light of unheralded financial pressures, while protecting frontline services and maintaining value for money for our residents".
How can I have my say?
To take part in the public consultation, visit the council's Let’s Talk Cornwall page to fill in a short survey setting out your views on the plans.
The survey will close on 23rd January, 2022 and anyone who can’t access the online survey can call 0300 1234 100 and request for a hard copy to be sent out to them.
As well as asking all residents to give us their views via the survey, the council will hold a roundtable event for stakeholders about the draft budget early in the new year and says it will continue to reach out to groups who are ‘seldom heard’ to ask for their views about its Business Plan and priorities.
This will include working with partners to get the views of disabled people, members of the LGBTQi+ community, people in social housing and those with learning disabilities.