Nottingham budget cuts: Full list of services being cut as £53m axed from budget
Nottingham City Council has approved plans to increase council tax by nearly 5%, cut more than 500 jobs and scale back public services in a bid to plug a £53m budget gap.
The Labour-run authority issued a section 114 notice on 29 November 2023, after revealing it was set for a £23 million overspend before the end of the financial year.
The council approved a controversial budget for the next financial year at a meeting on Monday.
A significant decision made was to increase council tax by 4.99% for 2024/25, as allowed by the government.
This hike comprises a 2.99% rise in general council tax and an additional 2% precept dedicated to funding Adult Social Care.
Here is what else the council has outlined in order to save money:
The council will reduce its workforce by over 500 full-time jobs.
Funding cuts will occur for local arts, culture, and voluntary charity organisations as the council will stop its financial support.
Community and protection services will see reductions, yet the council says it will still fulfil its responsibilities for environmental and anti-social behaviour enforcement.
Community centres may have to operate without council funding.
School uniform support for eligible families will end unless specific funding continues.
Adult social care will undergo a restructure.
Colwick Park activity centre will close.
Libraries might be reorganised, but the goal is to keep providing a full and efficient service that meets citizens' needs.
The council announced a substantial budget gap exceeding £50 million in November, stating that the shortfall was due to widespread issues such as the increased demand for social care, a rise in homelessness and the effects of inflation.It declared necessary savings of over £36 million to be made from 2024 to 2027 to balance the budget.
The council has secured exceptional financial support (EFS) from central government, amounting to approximately £66.143 million.
This sum is divided into £25 million for the current year 2023/24 and £41.143 million for 2024/25.
Councillor Audra Wynter, the council’s deputy leader and portfolio holder for finance, said: “Local government in this country is facing an unprecedent financial crisis. Nottingham was one of 19 councils confirmed by the Government as needing Exceptional Financial Support to balance their books. Seventeen of these are councils with social care responsibilities like Nottingham, highlighting the huge pressure we are all under to meet the rising cost of vital care services for our most vulnerable people.
“The council’s financial reserves have been impacted by decisions it has made in the past and this has affected our financial resilience. However, since 2013/14, the council’s Revenue Support Grant (RSG) from Government has reduced by nearly £100m every year. Over the same period, Nottingham’s ‘Core Spending Power’, a measure used by Government, has reduced by over 28% in real terms according to SIGOMA, the Special Interest Group of Municipal Authorities.
“The council has been faced with having to make some extremely difficult decisions but we have a legal duty to set a balanced budget. Our focus will be on continuing to provide important statutory services but other discretionary services that we know local people value will be significantly affected by the savings. We will do our best as a council to mitigate the impact as much as we can."
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