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Resolved: At the end of the petition period
We are asking residents for their views on a number of draft budget proposals. If approved, these will get us to a position of a balanced budget in the next three financial years.
Our budget for 2025/26 amounts to around £220 million. This will be spent on services for more than 200,000 residents and 9,500 businesses.
The focus is on delivering services that support our communities and vulnerable people and investing in our city in a way that delivers opportunities for all.
We are investing more money in care for the elderly and vulnerable and supporting children and families who need our help. We are prioritising growth and regeneration of the city, knowing it will attract more and better paid jobs for our residents and put more money into our local economy. We are also providing leisure attractions, keeping the streets clean, emptying bins and recycling, tackling rogue traders and keeping the roads moving, to name just a few of the services we provide.
In the coming financial year, we originally forecast a budget gap of £3m. The gap has increased significantly this year because of rising levels of demand in areas such as:
- Housing Needs
- Home to School Transport
- Adult Social Care
- Children's Social Care
This, coupled with high interest rates which have pushed up the cost of borrowing and refinancing debt, plus higher costs for materials and supplies and services, are all adding huge pressure.
Our budget consultation document explains how we will meet this challenge.
Have your say
Please take time to read our budget consultation document and tell us what you think by completing our online survey. The deadline to respond is midnight on 14 January 2025.
Your feedback will help inform the decisions that councillors make at the Budget Full Council meeting on 19 February 2025.