South Gloucestershire Council has launched its annual budget consultation process with residents, to update them on the authority’s financial position and its plans for the years ahead.
The consultation sets out the impacts on the council of continued underfunding of local authorities across the country, at the same time as costs and demand for some of the most expensive services it delivers are surging.
It outlines measures that will be required to balance the books next year and into the future, and asks residents in turn to share their views on the potential impacts of those changes. The council wants to use that feedback to help minimise and mitigate those effects where possible, while continuing to focus on the most important support that local people rely upon for their quality of life.
Planning ahead is more complicated this year, because while the Government has indicated that it wants to overhaul the way it funds councils, it has not yet provided full details. Assessing the information that is available, however, suggests that South Gloucestershire is likely to receive less money next year.
To meet these challenges, the consultation sets out a systemic approach to make the best use of every pound, building on work that has saved more than £90million over the past ten years. It will:
- Continue to review internal costs
- Find the most efficient ways to achieve the best outcomes for residents
- Invest in preventing people falling into crisis, to reduce the demand for the most expensive support
- Raise the money it needs to deliver services in the fairest ways possible for local people
- Prioritise services and support, with a focus on the things it has a legal and moral responsibility to provide, with some services identified as potentially needing to be stopped or cut back.
The draft budget assumes an increase in Council Tax next year of 4.99 per cent. The Government assumes councils will raise their taxes by this amount each year, and each 1 per cent increase is expected to bring in around £1.9 million in extra funding. Any increase less than 4.99 per cent would mean the council has to make further cuts to its spending.
Many of the actions the council is planning to take will be behind the scenes, as it looks for new ways to work more effectively and efficiently internally and with partners. In some areas, however, the impact of changes will be more noticeable for staff and for local people.
The pressure to focus on support and services that there is a legal and moral duty to deliver can lead to better lives for more people. For example, investing in earlier interventions, informing and supporting individuals and families to manage health issues before they require more costly and intensive help later on, can save money and lead to people living better, more fulfilled and independent lives.
There are services, such as the HandyVan, Community Meals and Pest Control, for example, which although they are highly valued, the council is not legally required to provide. Currently they are effectively being subsidised by council taxpayers, so options will have to be considered to make those services cover their own costs, or to stop providing them.
South Gloucestershire Council Leader, Councillor Maggie Tyrell, said: “I want to encourage everyone to take part in this process if they can, from all areas, backgrounds and at whatever stage of life you are at.
“We have set out how the current difficulty and uncertainty about the funding we receive, and the surging demand for some of the most expensive services that people rely on, is affecting the council. This consultation is a really important way for you let us know how you’re being affected, and how any changes we make in the future might affect you too.
“Wherever we can, we want to work together, with individuals, communities and partners to find ways to reduce the impact of needing to make cuts to spending. Local people’s input will help us do that.”
South Gloucestershire Council Co-Leader, Councillor Ian Boulton, said: “The choices open to us are limited, with difficult decisions to make. But we want this consultation to be useful and meaningful.
“We’ve set out where our money comes from and where it has to be spent. The services and support we provide makes a positive impact on so many, and we want to hear from the people who use those services, and from residents from all walks of life who help fund them, about how we can continue to do that.”
The consultation process will run from Monday 27 October until Sunday 21 December. Full details and background information is available on the Council website at www.southglos.gov.uk/budget.
Feedback from local residents and businesses, town and parish councils, and community groups and organisations will be considered by Councillors when they finalise the Budget for 2026/27 in February next year.
