Coping with ever-rocketing external costs and increasing demands for council services are at the heart of Canterbury City Council’s budget proposals for 2025/2026.
If nothing else changed, rising prices alone would account for an increase in spending of just over £1m.
To counter this, the draft budget says it has identified £701,000 in efficiency savings and can shave a further £393,000 because of proposed changes to some service levels.
Cllr Mike Sole, Canterbury City Council’s Cabinet Member for Finance, said: “It is no secret that councils across the country of all political persuasions are facing a really difficult financial situation. We are no different.
“And drafting this budget is a touch more challenging than it usually is as we’re waiting to find out how much money the new Chancellor will be able to find for councils which are facing a plethora of challenges.
“Some of our assumptions could well change for the better.
“As an administration that is determined to be prudent and careful with council taxpayers’ money, we know we are not able to significantly expand the services that are important to us right now.
“But we are determined to use advances in technology to help us to work smarter, achieve more and generate extra cash especially when it comes to our property portfolio.
“Finally, the draft budget promises we will put aside the extra money needed to ensure we cement and build on the legacy of the Levelling Up Fund projects.”
The draft budget also proposes:
- the introduction of a cultural grant pot of £30,000 per year to support more events and festivals
- freezing parking charges for more than 4,000 parking spaces in council-owned car parks including Park and Ride, reducing the cost of parking at the Riverside complex by 37% and reversing last year’s increase in School Lane, Herne
- the introduction of an annual Park and Ride permit for £50 per month or £600 per year saving motorists money
- the introduction of a Park and Ride corporate account allowing businesses to encourage their staff to park for just £2.50 per day including free parking at the weekend
- to convert 20 of Canenco’s larger diesel refuse collection vehicles to run on hydrogenated vegetable oil to help cut emissions and help the environment, at a cost of approximately £20,000 a year
- a 3% increase in council tax meaning people living in an average Band D property will pay an extra 14p per week
- saving £58,000 by reducing the number of times the grass is cut in amenity sites, such as parks and playing fields, from 18 times a year to 10 times a year
If accepted, the draft budget suggests most of the council’s fees and charges should only go up by 3%. The exceptions are:
- a 20% increase for developers seeking what is known as pre-app advice before putting in a press release
- a 5% increase for beach hut owners except for those at East Cliff which will be reduced by 14%
- a 5% increase for people using the council’s slipways for launching jet skis etc
Leader of the Council, Cllr Alan Baldock, said: “Finding more than £1 million in cost savings after years and years of finding ways to be more efficient is no mean feat and is a real testament to officers and we are incredibly grateful for their hard work.
“We’re determined to do all we can to spot opportunities to invest in improvements to our services so that we can save money in the future and spend it on the key priorities we were elected to deliver.
“This really is a listening exercise and we want to hear the views of everyone that lives, works and studies in the district.
“People have become jaded when it comes to consultations around key but difficult issues.
“I hope our proposed changes to tariffs in School Lane in Herne show we are more than prepared to listen.”
The Cabinet will decide whether to give permission to consult on the draft budget at its meeting on Monday 4 November at 7pm in the Guildhall, St Peter’s Place, Canterbury.
If approved, the consultation will run from Monday 11 November 2024 to Monday 6 January 2025.
Published: 25 October 2024
