Bucks Council proposes council tax hike to meet Covid pressures

Buckinghamshire Council is planning to increase council tax by £64.14 a year for the average band D household, its latest budget proposal reveals.

This constitutes a 3.99% rise, accounted for by higher costs due to inflation (1.99%) and rising demands on adult social care (2%).

Speaking to Bucks Radio, Council leader Martin Tett explained why the increase is necessary: “We’re in a really difficult place as a result of Covid-19. We’re seeing a big increase in demand for our services, and at the same time our income has dropped quite a lot. People aren’t parking their cars or using leisure centres in the same way and a lot of our income from things like offices has dropped away.”

While difficult choices have had to be made, including cutting £42 million from the budget over the next four years, Mr Tett believes they are still in a good position to deliver on what matters to residents. He said: “We’re looking to keep the delivery of services in line with what we committed to last year and what residents keep telling us they want.

“We have the biggest road improvement program we’ve ever run as a council. We’re going to deliver on yet again clearing all the drains and gullies in the county which has proved very popular this year, we’re cracking down on litter and continuing to support the most vulnerable in society.”

Indeed, the council has committed to spending over £100 million on roads and pavement improvements and as well as planning to open a new Household Recycling Centre in the north of the county.

As with all local authorities, the biggest budget pressures come from providing social care for both Adults and Children. Overall, 57% of the budget is spent on these services, equating to £295 million for 2022/23.

One area receiving a funding cut are the sixteen community boards, which, upon the formation of the still relatively new Unitary Council, were seen as a vital link back to local communities.

Bucks Radio asked the Council leader if these ties were now being severed. Martin Tett responded: “Not at all. We’re still spending over £2 million via the community boards.

“What we’re looking to do now is get match funding from partners. So rather than being seen as a grant-giving body, we’re actually saying look let’s decide what we want to achieve in the locality, work with us, whether it’s Parish Councils, community groups, voluntary community associations, let’s both put some money into the projects and deliver some great outcomes for local people.”

The budget spans the next four years. Here’s a summary of where the money will be spent:

-              £37.9m to support Economic Growth & Regeneration

-              £136.4m on schools, and school improvement projects

-              £117.9m on overall transport and Strategic Highways maintenance

-              £120.5m on Strategic Infrastructure

-              £24m investment in Waste, primarily on vehicle replacement and a household recycling centre in Buckingham

-              £21.7m to support Housing and Homelessness including affordable housing action plans and disabled facilities grants

Buckinghamshire Council runs a robust and thorough budget scrutiny process, going further than many other councils to offer its residents the chance of hearing directly from councillors about the budget plans and giving residents the chance to question, challenge, and feedback direct through public budget scrutiny sessions which will begin on Monday 10th January. The details can be found on the Council's website at the meetings calendar page.

The budget is set to be finalised before the full council on the 23rd February.