Kenneth's message

"Hi everyone, Kenneth here. I want to update you on our current budget position and our plans for achieving financial sustainability. We're facing a difficult journey ahead, and it’s something that will affect us all.

“Our financial situation remains extremely serious. We’re facing some tough choices because the money we receive isn’t enough to pay for the services we provide. Even with a 7% rise in council tax each year for the next five years, we’d still have a budget gap of £56.4m.

“This isn’t just a challenge - it’s a critical period for the council, and there are difficult decisions facing our Elected Members.

“Our Financial Strategy provides a route map for the way ahead and makes clear that, to get through this period, we will need to substantially raise council tax, significantly increase fees and charges, and deliver the savings options that services have developed in recent months.

“If these decisions are not taken, we will have no choice but to develop options that will see reductions in, or the removal of, core services. The Financial Strategy sets out what some of these future options may be. These are savings we really don’t want to take because of the impact they will have on our workforce and communities, but we understand that some may become necessary.

“The longer we delay in taking tough decisions, the more challenging our position becomes and the more likely it is that these more difficult savings become a reality.

“I know this will be worrying - whether you’re thinking about your job, your workload, or the services you care about. I wish I could say some areas won’t be affected. In the past, we have tried to protect areas like education and social work as best we can, but these services make up over 80% of our budget, so every service will need to contribute in the months and years ahead.

“And this isn’t about small tweaks – it’s about fundamental changes to how we operate. Every penny we spend must be absolutely essential. We’re working hard to deliver our priorities and protect our communities, but it will take all of us to make these changes.

“The Financial Strategy will be presented to Elected Members on October 3rd. It sets out what lies ahead and the steps we need to take to balance our budget, as we are legally required to do each year.

“This isn’t going to be easy, and I know this is a difficult message to hear. But as a council we deliver excellent services to our communities every day and we will continue to do so. And I would like to thank you for all your hard work and dedication which makes that possible.

“I’ll keep you informed as we move forward."