Public feedback results in changes to Nottingham City Council budget savings proposals

The changes follow feedback from residents and businesses, trade unions and staff in the biggest-ever consultation on the council’s budget for the coming year.

Executive councillors will be asked to endorse the council’s four-year medium term financial plan which is balanced in all years from 2022-23 to 2025-26.

The four-year plan is key to delivering the city’s Together for Nottingham improvement programme, passed by full council in January.

Also up for consideration is the Government’s adult social care precept of one per cent which would be added to council tax bills and an increase in core council tax of 1.99 per cent.

If endorsed by executive councillors, these items will go forward for final approval by full council on March 7.

The formal budget consultation process began last December with the council seeking to close a £28 million funding gap in 2022-23.

Around 700 responses were received during the budget consultation, resulting in the following suggested changes to the savings proposals:

Reducing the children’s centre saving and retaining four centres rather than the three originally proposed

Increasing the number of play and youth services staff that will be retained

Withdrawing the proposal to charge for toilets at Greyhound Street.

The consultation involved more than 300 participants at 17 engagement events (in-person and on-line) and included young people, service users, voluntary and community sector organisations and faith groups, businesses, statutory and non-statutory partner organisations, council staff and networks and trade unions.

Following more than a decade of funding cuts from central Government, securing the council’s finances on a sustainable, long-term footing has been challenging.

Difficult decisions made now will provide a solid four-year foundation and enable more investment in key council services in the coming years.

Coun Sam Webster (Lab), the council’s portfolio holder for finance and resources, said: “I want to thank everyone who took part in our budget consultation.

"We always said the proposals were not set in stone and we’ve listened carefully to what people have told us and acted on their views and suggestions.

“However, like many councils across the country, we are still facing extremely challenging circumstances due to a decade of unprecedented reductions in Government funding and the growing demand for some key council services, especially care services for older people.

“Councils of all types are facing the same challenges, not least because one of the main statutory services we provide – care for the elderly – is not being properly funded through national taxation.

"Instead, it is being unfairly funded by the Government’s social care precept, adding an extra charge to council tax bills which amounts to £211 more on band D bills over the last six years.

“The Government has talked a lot about ‘levelling up’, but by cutting the resources that local areas have available during a time of rising demand for some key services, the effect has been the opposite.

“It is grossly unfair that the Government has cut £320 per household in Nottingham against an average of only £47 nationally.

"Hard-pressed Nottingham households cannot afford to pick up the costs of a care system that should be funded nationally.”