Nottingham residents are being invited to have their say on savings proposals agreed by councillors as the City Council sets its budget for 2023/24.
At an Executive Board meeting, councillors endorsed £29m of savings proposals, over £10m of which require public consultation.
Like all councils, businesses and households, the City Council’s finances have been impacted by the cost-of-living crisis created by soaring inflation, fuel and energy costs. A challenging employment market, increased demand for services and post-pandemic issues also add to financial pressures.
Proposals agreed by the Executive Board include raising Council Tax by the full 4.99% permitted under Government proposals – made up of 2.99% Council Tax and a further 2% precept specifically towards Adult Social Care costs. Eighty percent of Nottingham’s homes are in the two lowest Council Tax bands – almost twice the national average – meaning this increase would equate to between £1.25 and £1.46 more per week for the vast majority of city residents.
Other proposals, involving a workforce reduction of 110 full-time equivalent posts, include:
- Changes to adult social care, including more independent living support instead of residential or nursing care
- Reviewing fees and charges for parking, cremation and burials, leisure centres and cafes
- Reviewing grants to community groups, community centres and cultural organisations
- Withdrawing the Shopmobility service at the Victoria Centre
- Stopping collection of household bins put out on the wrong day
- Short-term mothballing of two floors of Loxley House pending the review of options for the council’s offices and depots
- Increasing tariffs for EnviroEnergy customers.
Some of the proposals are part of or complement the transformation programme which is underway to radically change the way the council operates.
The council’s overall budget gap is £32.2m, leaving a further £3.2m of savings to be found by February.
