A draft budget which proposes a 2% council tax rise and
additional investment in services for the most vulnerable in the
community was approved by the Executive on Tuesday 2
February.
The draft budget will now go to Full Council on 23 February
for final approval.
The proposed council tax increase means the average Band D
property precept would be £1,150.87 for North Somerset Council
services in 2010/11.
"We are committed to keeping council tax as low as possible,"
said the Leader of the Council, Cllr Nigel Ashton. "Although North
Somerset is one of the lowest funded councils in the country in
terms of Government grant per head of population, we continue to be
one of the lowest taxing areas in the South West.
"We have achieved this through a substantial programme of
internal efficiencies which has enabled us to cut costs whilst
protecting frontline services."
The proposed budget sees a continuing shift in funding towards
frontline services and includes a 6% increase in the Children and
Young People's Services budget and 2% growth in Adult Social
Services and Housing's budget.
"We are putting as much resource into these two areas as we can
to help them cope with the increasing demand for their services,"
said Cllr Ashton. "The additional investment will make sure that
vulnerable children are properly cared for and are given the best
possible chances in life; that young adults with severe learning
disabilities will get the care they need; and that the increasing
elderly population will be able to continue to live in their own
homes."
Other areas of investment include new and improved waste
collection services that will help people recycle more and ensuring
that we put the best possible case to the Government for funding to
make the improvements necessary to our secondary school buildings
under the Building Schools for the Future programme.
The draft budget will result in the £19million shortfall that
the council faced over the next two years being reduced to
£4.4million.
"Everyone at the council has been working to reduce
budgets wherever possible whilst continuing to provide the best
level of services possible to the residents of North Somerset,"
said Cllr Ashton. "We will continue to work on further
savings.
"More cuts in central Government funding are inevitable as it
seeks to reduce national debt levels, so we have to continually
strive for ways to spend public money in smarter, more efficient
ways.
"This budget is about being more efficient in the way we
work as an organisation. That's why we are taking the opportunity
to rationalise our office accommodation so that we can improve
services to our residents across the whole district and at the same
time reduce costs.
"We are planning for the future with investment aimed at
delivering long-term recurring savings for the council."
You can view the
draft budget
report.