The Council’s proposals for a balanced budget for 2024-25 were approved by Full Council on Thursday 15 February.

The package had been developed over the last few months and has been shaped by feedback from residents and local organisations through a public consultation exercise in the Autumn.

The approved budget will result in a total Council spend of £989.7m in 2024-25. It also includes savings proposals of £29.7m in the next financial year to enable the Council to balance its books, with additional savings proposals of £47.5m identified from 2025-28.

As part of the package, an increase in Council Tax of 4.99% was also approved.

Council Tax rises of this level form part of the 2024-25 funding settlement provided to local authorities by Central Government, with an expectation that they will be implemented to help cover costs. Residents in a Band B property - the band with the most properties across the borough - will see a Council Tax increase of £1.34 per week.

Despite an extremely challenging financial situation, the Council’s budget includes a range of significant investment proposals designed to benefit local communities in both the immediate and longer term. In 2024-25, an additional £28.1m will be spent in Adult Social Care and £21.1m in Children and Families, to help the growing number of people who need support and meet the considerably higher costs of providing those services.

A £375m capital investment package has also been approved to fund a range of transformation projects over the next four years. This includes regeneration projects to further improve town centres in Ellesmere Port and Winsford; sustainable transport initiatives across the borough, such as improvements to roads, cycling and walking routes; more affordable housing for local residents; accommodation provision for children in care, care leavers and people experiencing homelessness; and funding to support people to live independently for as long as possible through adaptations to their homes.

Budgets and finance

Overview

Council approves its budget