County Council approves biggest ever budget to support essential services

The budget, approved at today’s meeting of the Full Council, will fund delivery of a wide range of essential services, many of which are facing increasing demand and costs, including those services to keep the most vulnerable people in the county safe.

The budget will also continue to fund a number of major improvements for Worcestershire residents which includes improving roads, pavements and street lighting, in addition to funding a brand new school to help with school places.

Worcestershire County Council Leader, Councillor Simon Geraghty, said: “This budget delivers a record amount of investment to enable the Council to deliver on its responsibilities to keep vulnerable people safe and also deliver on priorities that our residents tell us are the most important to them.

“This year will be a tough one for many people across the county. The Council is facing similar challenges too, from both the impact of inflation on costs of materials and services to increasing demand for services, all of which adds significantly to the pressure on our budget.

“With more vulnerable people needing our support than ever before and with the cost of this care increasing significantly, our budget for next year reflects this added pressure.

“The Government is providing much-needed additional funding and we have a programme of further efficiencies and reform. However, the rising costs and demand on our key services have meant we need a rise in Council Tax for next year to be able to continue to fund essential services.

“Our Council Tax is one of the lowest of any County Council in the country and with most councils predicted to increase their Council Tax due to similar pressures, we will remain one of the lowest.

“The additional funding from this increase will mean we can continue to deliver vital social care to children and adults, protecting the most vulnerable in our communities. It will also enable us to maintain our capital commitments to invest in the priorities that are most important to our residents. These include better roads and pavements, tackling congestion and improving public transport alongside investments in the economy, environment and extra school places.”

As part of the budget, the Council will be putting in place an uplift to its Council Tax. The 2.94 per cent uplift in Council Tax will help to fund the increased costs of delivering improvements for residents and businesses. A two per cent uplift in the rate for the Adult Social Care levy will support vulnerable adults.

Despite the increase in Council Tax, Worcestershire will be the third lowest across the country when comparing Council Tax with other authorities.

With combined income from Council Tax and Government grants, the Council will be spending a record amount to help protect the most vulnerable people in our communities.

This includes £268 million over the next 12 months to ensure residents who need Adult Social Care support will continue to receive it.

A total of £146million has been allocated to ensure the County Council can continue to improve the lives of children and young people across the county.

£91 million is being invested into supporting people to live independently for longer, through the dedicated work of the county’s Public Health and Communities teams.

The budget also includes investment to maintain bus services with £3.5 million invested on top of the £1.5 million commitment made this year.

An additional £500,000 to enable minor highway works to be actioned more quickly such as the pruning of trees and the replacement of damaged street furniture and signs.

The proposals also see a continuation of the capital programme set by the County Council last February as well as new Government funded schemes, such as the A38 Bromsgrove Route Enhancement Programme.