RBWM is asking for your comments on the 2023/24 Budget and, with a £3.97m windfall grant from government, your suggestions could actually result in changes to spending and services provided in the next 2 years, and possibly into the future.

All your suggestions are welcome as it gives officers and a politicians better view of you, the people whom we serve.

But the most vulnerable people, children, adults and senior citizens, will be at the sharp end of lost services worth £8.7m in 2023/24 alone.

That is a worrying and sobering fact if we claim to live in a civilised society that claims to be any more sophisticated than Neanderthals.

Would this change how you would change your suggestions on what we should spend more money on and, where we should improve and extend RBWM’s services and spending?

COST CUTS AND CANCELLED OR REDUCED SERVICES IN THE 2023/24 BUDGET

Yes, embedded within the Budget proposals for 2023/24 and onwards, the Council is approving £16m of cuts to services.

* Adults and Housing will suffer 45% of the cuts i.e. £4.9m of cost cuts

* Children’s Service will suffer 36% of the cuts i.e. £3.8m

* Place will suffer 10% of the cuts i.e. £1.9m

CHANGE IN SPENDING IN THE 2023/24 BUDGET

The fuller picture of the RBWM Budget is that based on 2022/23 activities,

• General costs are increasing by £3.2m

• The number of people requiring legal minimum (statutory) services, and the extra services we have to provide due to legislation such as Adult Social Care has increased by £9.05

• There is a line in the budget which indicates an extra income or further cuts in costs of £1.2m

• Our expected income from Council Tax, Government Grant and other sources is £88.9m

• The balancing figure of services to be cut is total £12m in 2023/24 and, £16m over a number of years

Accountably yours,

Wisdom

Cllr. Wisdom Da Costa

Clewer & Dedworth West, Windsor

West Windsor Residents Association

CREDITS

Photo by Ante Hamersmit on Unsplash