Cheshire East Council, along with other local authorities, is facing difficult financial challenges over the next three years, having to offset the loss of more than £40m in government grants combined with inflation and additional service demands, including the needs of a growing ageing population.
The financial impact of this will require the council to find £100m to balance its books between 2017 and 2020.
In order to achieve this, the council's cabinet will be asking full council to approve the medium term financial strategy when it meets in February. It will also be asked to approve a proposed council tax increase of 4.99 per cent, three per cent of which will go directly towards adult social care.
The increase equates to a £1.21 per week rise on an average Band D property.
This would leave the council to find economies of a further £49m through changes and efficiencies within the 500 services it delivers to residents each day.
Introducing the council's annual corporate plan, which sets out the objectives and planned outcomes, council leader Rachel Bailey said: "This corporate plan for 2017 to 2020 highlights how the council is striving to create sustainable growth in the local economy that will support the health and economic wellbeing of our residents.
"We will continue to provide the right environment for our local population to develop their skills, which will help them to secure meaningful long-term employment as well as supporting our local businesses.
"In addition, we will maintain a focus on the 'quality of place' in the borough, which will enable our economy to grow and help our local residents to access employment, education and leisure opportunities.
"This is why the medium term financial strategy proposes a capital programme of more than £300m over the next three years so that we can continue to invest in essential infrastructure, education and regeneration of our towns and villages.
"Furthermore, we will also ensure that the countryside and open spaces in Cheshire East are managed prudently and provide good quality frontline services, such as highways, waste collection and street cleansing, to ensure that the quality of the environment in the borough is maintained."
Councillor Peter Groves, cabinet member for finance, said: "We will continue to create the right conditions for economic growth and prosperity for all, investing in people, social care and education.
"The costs associated with maintaining this level of quality in our services and our environment, are becoming increasingly challenging as national austerity measures continue to put pressure on local government, and as the costs of the health system continue to put all public services under severe financial pressure.
"However, with one of the strongest economies in the country thanks to a vibrant mix of businesses, Cheshire East remains 'a great place to live, work and visit'.
The pre-budget consultation period ran between November 2016 and January 2017 and resulted in a record number of responses from residents, businesses and other stakeholders.
Comments
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Also, why is it that just property owners have to fund social care; there are other wage earners and tax payers in Cheshire who don’t contribute to council tax; why does it have to be a burden on council tax payers? I object to paying the same council tax, for just my wife and I, to a similar house up the road with 5 or 6 income tax payers! Bring back poll tax so that the cost of social care can be funded by ALL tax payers.
So "Media Hub says no increase 2015/2016 and no increase 2016/17.
The reality - last year the rise was 1.8% + 2% for Fire + 3.2% for Police = 7% in total. Council told us that the rise was necessary on their apportionment to pay for Adult Social Care.
This year a rise of Council Tax of 4.99% to pay for Adult Social Care. My money is that police and fire will demand, and get, an increase too to take it to a 10% increase overall.
For all those who say, that the sum is small on a Band D - exactly how many Band D homes are there in Wilmslow?
Sad that WTC cannot escape and act independently. A new party would definitely help accelerate change.
Oh, we have one! It's Residents of Wilmslow with CEC and WTC Cllrs. Out of little acorns .......
If I am correct, can they further explain why it is such a substantial amount and why they are not reducing the reserve fund instead?
Finally, what is the purpose of the reserve fund? CEC appear to increase the council tax to meet any additional costs (or savings as they call it).
In other words, the latest budget not only includes provision for "taxes from all the new homes built and being built" but increases the estimate for the increase over the previous estimate, to a total of £6.3m over the period 2017-2020.
This amount is not the total increase in money collected, but a revised increase to the increase already catered for and "factored into base budgets".
If this revised estimate is not achieved, then there will be a further future shortfall in money collected which will have to be raised by other means, elsewhere I suggested that this might be through increases in parking charges which weren't otherwise planned and included in the latest budgets.
So the "4.99%" thing is really dictated by central government through the "Localism Act 2011". Whether or not an increase of 5% or greater would be approved through the referendum process is another matter, but clearly avoiding the requirement to hold one is a lower risk process for Cheshire East Council.