Cheshire East Council has published its Pre-Budget Consultation Report for 2019 to 2022 which sets out proposals on the council's financial plans as to how services will be delivered for the period from April 1 2019 through to March 31 2020.
To overcome the reduction in central government funding Council Tax will be increased each year to 2020 and additional income will be generated by creating more households and businesses in the Borough.
The council is inviting the opinions and views from residents, businesses, councillors, staff, town and parish councils, local community groups and other stakeholders on the proposals in the consultation document which assume Council Tax will increase by up to 2.99% in 2019/20.
The feedback received will be used to inform the budget-setting process.
Councillor Paul Bates, Cheshire East Council cabinet member for finance and communications, said: "In response to the difficult ongoing national funding situation and demographic change, the council is firmly committed to protecting the delivery of essential frontline services for children and families, adult social care and for our most vulnerable residents.
"But we must also look at our priorities and where we can make savings and operate more efficiently. This might mean that some existing services provided will be reduced or delivered in a different way in the future.
"We are fortunate here in Cheshire East that the local economy is strong and growing. We have to ensure communities feel the benefit of that economic growth for the longer term and that is why we are working for a brighter future together with our residents and partners."
To have your say, go to: www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/budget.
The consultation runs until 14 December and findings will be considered before the final budget is agreed by full council on 21 February 2019.
Comments
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Prudence starts by getting their own house in order ( which it truly isn't ! ) before further penalising CEC residents for continued financial incompetence at Westfield's . 3rd year in a row the books haven't balanced !
Get rid of LGM Spin doctors, stop the grand fiscal frittering and merge CE with CW of this small county ASAP...
Absolute disgrace. If ever there was a need to rid ourselves of the current incumbents it is now ... Dick Turpin would be proud of this lot loading up their swag bag at our expense !
In the past year CE Council has spent several hundreds of thousands of pounds on salaries and payments to officers under lengthy and on-going investigations into wrong-doing.
Am I alone in feeling reluctant to accept an increase of 3% on my Council Tax invoice?
Look at the grotesque salaries paid to third rate chief officers.
Cut out the wasteful arms-length so called independent companies set up to deliver "services" at "a reduced cost" than prior.
Look at the wastage recently in conducting the "Wilmslow Parking Survey" - we need a solution not a survey telling us all what & where the problems are that we already know.
How many more police investigations to come? We've already got 6 or is it 7? All wasting police resources.
Frightening prospect alluded to in Lisa's report - " additional income will be generated by creating more households and businesses in the Borough" So we have sacrificed our Green BElt to bolster the Council's financial over spending & wastage elsewhere. But what about the infrastructure - medical services, school places, over burdened roads, loss of bus services, crumbling roads, etc. etc. How can ever more homes pay for these under funded elements; is the Mad Hatter running this excuse for a responsible council?
That just about sums up the situation. The local Conservatives have no idea how away from reality they are.
Remember the lesson of Alderley First- an entirely Party Political Council chucked out and replaced by Independents.
Alderley First: Wilmslow second- vote Independent, vote Residents of Wilmslow.
However the staggering incompetence of those who somehow managed to get themselves elected to this council has to come to an end. Look out for your independent on voting day.
No matter how questionable the circumstances, they'll be chucking money at you like confetti at a wedding.
Any notion of a reduction of funding will drift away as you bask, without a care in the world, on a sea of tax payers dosh.
[2.99% Tax rise 2018] + [5.99% Tax rise 2017] + [4.99% Tax rise 2016] = 13.97% increase in our taxes over the past 3 yrs.
The same 3 yrs where CEC has failed to balance its books.
Then consider all this against ;The cost of Lyme Green £3M+?, Co-socious £3M+ ?, ‘Flawed CEC Local Plan’ £ 3.7M + ?, ‘Corefit’ debacle £200k+, The increasing of the policing precept by 5% to satisfy unrequired empire building at Stockton Heath £ Millions !, JGM Spin Doctors £1.2M+ ?.... ‘Deliberate and systematic’ failures re; Pollution data and its implication to planning decisions £ Millions !.. The list goes on……. As residents we can’t afford this fiscally incompetence to continue at our expense.
Merge this small county East and West ASAP !.. Interestingly Cheshire West recently won both The Association of Public Services Excellence Award and 2018 Council of The Year award. Meanwhile were lumbered with this lot .. Clearly time for a change
2016-17 +3.75%
2017-18 +4.99%
2018-19 +5.99%
which is +15.45% over 3 years
However, 2009-2019 has been a +21% rise over 10 years, over a period in which CPI inflation rose +24% and RPI inflation rose +34%, and cumulative earnings rose +19%.