Residents of Lincolnshire have until January 30 to have their say on the 2024/25 budget proposals put forward by the council’s executive.
This year, the council expects to spend almost £650m on providing the wide range of services which are so vital to people in our county. Some of the costs we are forecasting this year include:
- £305m for adult care and community wellbeing
- £114m for children’s services
- £49m for highways
- £25m for Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue
And, while we have managed to find around £9m in savings by reducing bureaucracy and streamlining operations through the use of new technology, we also face an increase of £61m in additional cost pressures.
These are expected to come due to rising prices and increased demand for services, such as adult care, child protection and school transport.
As a result of the increases we are proposing a 4.99% increase in the authority’s share of the council tax, which equates to an extra £1.44 per week for a Band D property.
We must do this to protect our frontline services as we know many residents rely on our support, as was underlined during the recent floods when the council and its partners were called upon to help those affected.
Thanks to our careful financial management over recent years, Lincolnshire County Council remains in a stable position, and there are no plans to cut services. In addition, despite the proposed increase, our council tax rate is set to remain one of the lowest in the country for a shire county.
Any feedback will be considered by the executive at their meeting on 6 February.
One of the additions to this year’s budget is an additional £4m for longer-term flood prevention schemes. We know this is a real concern for residents, brought to the fore recently with Storm Babet and Storm Henk. With hundreds of homes flooded in Lincolnshire, we know that the consequences can be upsetting and worrying. The government has made funding available to people whose homes have been flooded in these two recent events. The county council is administering flood grants to people who suffered internal flood damage to their homes or businesses, of up to £5,000 to help make their property more resilient to future flooding. To check if you’re eligible and to apply, visit www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/floodgrants.
Longer term, councils in Greater Lincolnshire are looking to secure a devolution deal, which would see more local decision-making and funding transferred from the government. We believe this is the best way available to us to ensure we get the investment we need, and a direct line to the government through a mayoral board who would oversee new funding and powers.
Some of the areas we would have more control over would be the adult education budget and transport budgets, allowing us to look at what people here need and tailoring services to our residents.
You can find out more about devolution at www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/devolution.