Budget Engagement 2019/20

Closed 1 Feb 2019

Opened 9 Jan 2019

Contact

Nikki Bridle

(Chief Executive)

01259 450000

engage@clacks.gov.uk

Feedback updated 11 Mar 2019

We asked

Public engagement ran from 9th January to 1st February 2019.  We put forward a range of options for savings and feedback was received via a variety of methods.

You said

The budget engagement attracted a mixed reaction from the public. We received 696 responses to the online survey.

Three public events were held, we received letters and written representations, held meetings with parent council, young peoples’ groups and 3rd sector organisations/groups impacted by the proposals.

Four petitions were also received and these were presented to the Place and People Committees on 19 February 2019.

We did

Councillors met on 6th March 2019 and agreed the budget for 2019/20. All respondents’ views were taken into account. Savings of £4.810million and growth of £1.4m were approved

Capital Receipts of £2.041m were used to support the budget and Council Tax has been increased by 4%.

A new Funding Officer post has been created to maximise income opportunities for the Council and a Transformation Fund of £500,000 has been created to support the Council's transformation programme.

The Council continues with the corporate redesign programme as approved by Council in March 2019.

Details of all budget decisions made can be accessed on our website.

Overview

Over the last 8 years, the Council has made savings of over £43m. The Council’s current budget requirement for 2019/20 will be around £124m, however the funding we expect to get amounts to around £113m. After making savings of around 30% over the past decade, it is now almost impossible to find savings which will not impact on individuals and communities.

The Council’s budget seeks to protect essential services while improving the Council’s financial sustainability, with a clear focus on stopping discretionary services and reducing performance standards towards the statutory minimum. We need to save in excess of 20% of current expenditure to ensure that the Council is in a financially sustainable position.

The Council is clear that to ensure future financial and service delivery sustainability very difficult decisions need to be made and transformational change is required. This will ensure the Council continues to meet its legal requirement to set a balanced budget and is able to deliver those services which it is legally required to in the medium to longer term.

That transformation is underway with a new streamlined senior management structure in place and a new Corporate Plan agreed.

To inform the process of budget setting by councillors, Council officers have put forward a range of options which span many aspects of current service provision.

Some of these options would result in a significant reduction from existing levels of service or removal of the service. There are also options to change the way in which some services are delivered in order to reduce costs, some of which involve working in collaboration with a range of partners.

The options are set out in this booklet alongside an indication of the level of savings which would be achieved if councillors accepted them. Officers are continuing to work to identify any further options for the coming years, as well as considering other ways of generating additional income to bridge the gap.

Why your views matter

Your views are sought on the impacts any of the savings options put forward by officers would have on you or your community.

No decisions have been made and none will be taken by councillors until after the engagement exercise is complete.

What happens next

The consultation feedback will be consolidated and shared with elected members ahead of the budget setting council meeting to be held before the end of the financial year.

Events

  • Public drop-in event at Lornshill Academy

    From 22 Jan 2019 at 18:00 to 22 Jan 2019 at 21:00

    An opportunity to drop-in and talk to staff about the options detailed in the budget booklet.

    Add to my Calendar (.ics)

  • Public drop-in event at Alva Academy

    From 30 Jan 2019 at 18:00 to 30 Jan 2019 at 21:00

    An opportunity to drop-in and talk to staff about the options detailed in the budget booklet.

    Add to my Calendar (.ics)

  • Public drop-in event at Alloa Town Hall

    From 31 Jan 2019 at 18:00 to 31 Jan 2019 at 21:00

    An opportunity to drop-in and talk to staff about the options detailed in the budget booklet.

    Add to my Calendar (.ics)

Areas

  • All Areas

Audiences

  • Anyone from any background

Interests

  • Budget