Norfolk County Council proposes to bridge £46million budget gap with council tax hike and social care cuts
Tax hikes and social care cuts are among the ways a council is looking to plug a £46million financial black hole.
A report to Norfolk County Council’s scrutiny committee says the authority faces a “significant challenge” to develop a budget for the 2024/25 year, and councillors are currently exploring ways to bridge that gap.
A council spokesperson said that pressures facing the body include inflation and price increases for adult and children’s services – and early proposals to remedy them have been identified.
Councillors are currently considering plans for a council tax increase of 4.99%, including the adult social care precept of 2%.
It has also been suggested that a further £26.5million worth of savings will be made by cutting the following services:
- Adult social services, £14.2million
- Children’s services, £4.8million
- Community and environmental services, £5.5million
- Strategy and transformation, £0.9million
- Finance, £1.0million
Public consultation on the budget will be undertaken over the autumn, once the scrutiny committee has considered the report and made any recommendations.
The committee meets at 10am next Wednesday (October 18).
Cllr Steve Morphew, chair of scrutiny, said: “Balancing the books when times are tight is more than getting the numbers to add up.
“We need to know what the priorities are, what may be sacrificed because of continuing pressures on funding and make sure every penny of council tax and public money is spent properly.
“Transparency and accountability are cornerstones of public life. Scrutiny is a key part of that. This session is an important milestone in the budget setting process.”
The council says pressures facing it include:
- Price inflation of £12.5million, including £7million in adult social care and £3.2 million in children’s services
- Demographic pressures, including £5.5million in adult social care and £9.5 million in children’s services
