Residents to be invited to have their say on how we balance our budget for 2025/26
Consultation on savings and income generation proposals set to begin in November.
West Berkshire Council will launch a public consultation to give residents the opportunity to have their say on how to balance its 2025/26 budget.
The consultation is set to begin on Monday 11 November and is subject to being approved by the Executive when it meets next week (Thursday 7 November).
The proposals to generate income or save money come as West Berkshire Council prepares its budget for 2025/26. In identifying areas to make savings the priority is to protect the most vulnerable residents, minimise the impact on frontline services and work to transform services to ensure they continue to be delivered effectively efficiently and focused on our customers.
Local authority funding continues to be extremely challenging and West Berkshire Council is not alone in making difficult decisions to deliver a balanced budget. When starting the budget-setting process the Council was forecasting a deficit of £12.1m when considering its anticipated income against the cost of delivering services. Around £3.3m savings have been found that don't require consultation, and proposals which could deliver a financial benefit up to £1.2m which do. They are set out in full at the end but include:
- Consulting on the future of the Council's three resource centres.
- Turning off streetlights in residential roads between 12am to 5am.
- Reduction in the number of vehicles available for winter gritting.
A new scheme is also being proposed which, if approved, would see owners of Band G and H properties invited to donate to a charity led by West Berkshire Council to support local initiatives. This will be subject to a separate consultation.
Details about the proposals and how to respond will be available at westberks.gov.uk/balancing-our-budget from Monday 11 November. Anyone unable to access them online can call the Customer Services team for assistance on: 01635 551111.
Introducing the consultation, the Leader of West Berkshire Council, Councillor Jeff Brooks said:
"Every year we have to make increasingly difficult decisions about how to spend the money we receive. Higher costs and increasing demand mean our funding doesn't go as far as it used to, and this can only be resolved in the long term by central Government. Together with the other Berkshire authorities we are continuing to lobby them to address an issue which is fast becoming a perilous one.
"In setting the budget for next year we remain committed to working with other organisations and residents to deliver services we can be proud of. We want to feel proud of West Berkshire and keep investing in the district's infrastructure - and residents will see us continue to invest in leisure centres, schools and other projects important to current and future generations."
The budget is due to be considered by the Executive on Thursday 13 February 2025 and approved by Full Council on Thursday 27 February 2025. It will also be discussed by members of the Scrutiny Commission on Tuesday 11 February 2025. All three meetings will be open to the public and residents can attend either in person at the Market Street Offices or to stream live and on-demand via our YouTube channel.
The agenda and reports for the Executive meeting on Thursday 7 November are available to read here: https://decisionmaking.westberks.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=117&MId=7833&Ver=4
Full list of savings and income generation proposals:
Proposal Number | Proposal | Description | Savings / additional income p.a.[1] |
1 | Proposal for a Council Tax Initiative whereby residents in Band G and H properties are formally consulted if they would support donating to a Council led charity | This will be included as a separate question in the consultation exercise | £200k |
2 | ASC fees and charges | Some fees and charges are currently being charged below what it costs to provide the service. | £100k |
3 | ASC Resource Centres | Explore options with the external market for delivering day services | £470k |
4 | Adult respite in community (ARC) | To explore ways of supporting learning disability clients in a different way | £30k |
5 | Litter and dog bins | To offer about 1/3 of dog and litter bins by working with town and parish councils | £20k |
6 | Turning off streetlights in residential roads | Turning off between midnight and 5am | £50k |
7 | Discontinue mobile library | To replace this service with a more effective library service option for residents in rural areas e.g. deliver by the 'at home' service | £40k |
8 | Reduction in winter gritting | Reducing the number of vehicles available for gritting from 8 down to 7, resulting in a reduction in length of gritting routes by 12.5% | £40k |
9 | Removal of Downland Sports Centre from the leisure contract | Low attendance levels compared to other sports facilities | £30k |
10 | General fees and charges increase of 5% | Proposed increase to fees and charges of 5% - included as a separate consultation question | £250k |
|
| Total | £1,230k |
[1] To the nearest £5k
The Local Government Association submission on the Budget can be found here: https://www.local.gov.uk/about/news/further-funding-cuts-councils-would-be-disastrous-urgent-funding-and-reform-needed.
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