Budget Consultation 2008/09 - 2010/11
Consultation closed on Monday 28th January 2008
Results of the telephone consultation of 400 Wealden households
Over view of consultation
Over the last few months the Council has been examining its costs and this review has produced operational savings of over £600k – some 3.5% of the net budget. The Council wishes to ensure that the services we offer are delivered as efficiently as possible in order to minimise the increases in Council Tax.
Wealden has in recent years received a low grant settlement from Central Government and unfortunately this year is no exception. This increase in the Revenue Support Grant from the Government for 2008/9 is only 1.9% which is significantly below the rate of inflation as is the grant figure for the following 2 years.
The settlement means the Council has to fund the majority of its expenditure through Council Tax which is not the case for most District Councils in England and Wales. The effect of this is that the proposed increase in expenditure of 3.3% translates into a Council Tax increase of 4.2%.
The consultation document highlights the areas such as the delivery of affordable housing, extending kerbside recycling and sustainability which are priorities of the Council.
The consultation survey seeks your views on whether these are also your priorities and whether some of these should be funded by the users of the service or by the whole community through increases in Council Tax.
Councillor Robert Standley, Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Finance and Assets
Budget proposals (full version) (pdf, 986kb)
