Councils receive their money to pay for services and capital costs from a range of government-based sources including;
• Social Care Grant
• Services Grant
• New Homes Bonus
• Education Services
Unlike our PropertyCo, government-based funds are out of our control and so not easy to predict.
This year, the government surprised even our internal experts.
Accordingly, the council was recently advised by the Government that they would be getting more money than was expected and included in the DRAFT Budget being presented to Full Council on 21 February 2023.
As the draft budget has already been agreed upon by officers, who have fought hard to keep the Council ship shape despite increases in costs and the £30m lack of funding.
So the extra cash can be used to recover some of the painful-to-residents cost reductions.
See the chart below for how and where the extra £3.97m has arisen.
Remember, if your suggestions are included in the amended 2023/34 Budget, they are likely to continue for years to come as, next year’s settlement is also likely to generate the same, unexpected, level of total.
Please HAVE YOU SAY on where the Council should spend the extra £3.97m and, follow our guidance posts such at short form post at www.shorturl.at/dlpV6
DON’T HESITATE to ask us questions.
Accountably yours,
Wisdom
Cllr. Wisdom Da Costa
Clewer & Dedworth West, Windsor
West Windsor Residents Association
CREDITS
Government press release https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/provisional-local-government-finance-settlement-england-2023-to-2024?fbclid=IwAR1DLqauzvDwLBNDrBOGpjrPcgwjdS-xT5rVEBWvaKvfeujqee03PfmoP50#provisional-settlement-2023-to-2024
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash