Despite huge pressures on public finances, Plymouth City Council has today agreed a balanced budget for 2024/25, a budget that is ambitious for the city and has a relentless focus on delivering priority services that residents say matter.
Local authorities across the country are under significant pressure with rising demand and costs for services. Alongside this, the cost-of-living crisis has caused persistently high inflation – and despite being in a better financial position than most other local authorities, Plymouth is not immune to these pressures and over the past year has already found more than £20m of savings.
Councillor Tudor Evans, Leader of Plymouth City Council, said: “Times are indeed tough for everyone. But, we need to focus on what is important.
“We have listened to the feedback from residents and in our recent budget consultation, people recognised that we all have a duty to ensure that the most vulnerable – our children, older people or those who are homeless – are protected. Unfortunately, those are the exact areas we are seeing the most financial pressure.
“What I can promise is that whilst we all tighten our belts, we will continue to lobby hard for what is right and fair for Plymouth and most importantly we ambitious. We will strive to put the city on the map.
“The proof is in the pudding, despite our strained finances, we have pulled out all the stops. From our efforts to create a Freeport which will bring new jobs to the city, our work to create the UKs first National Marine Park, our work with PCH to build new homes in Millbay, the creation of a new district centre in Derriford, our ongoing efforts with the NHS to tackle the dental crisis, our plans to increase grass cutting in residential areas, and our ambitious plans to build a new adult care facility – the list goes on.”
At the full Council meeting today, members agreed that in order to balance the books, Plymouth City Council will have to implement a Council Tax increase of 2.99 per cent for the coming year, as well as levying a two per cent precept to pay for social care. This means a total increase of 4.99 per cent which is inline with the national rate of inflation.
At the same time, there is also a rise in fees and charges across a number of services. The majority of the increases are also inline with the rate of inflation.
Councillor Evans added: “Now, it isn’t all doom and gloom. Yes, the Government slashed three quarters of a billion pounds from our revenue grant over the past ten years, and this week’s Spring Statement wasn’t much help, but with what we have we are tremendously ambitious.
“No one wants to put up Council Tax, but we have no choice. Our budget for next year aims to protect frontline, visible services that Plymouth residents value, such as more grass cutting in residential areas, tackling potholes, street cleansing and allocates the funding needed to meet the rising demand for our social care and homelessness services that protect the most vulnerable in our community.
“We will continue to fight for the people of Plymouth. Your Council Tax contributions make all this possible.”
The balanced budget follows on from the announcement that the Government is minded to agree the Council's request for a capitalisation direction relating to a transaction in 2019/20.