Published on Tuesday 22 October 2024
Residents are being asked to help shape the future of Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole as the council prepares to set its budget for 2025/26.
BCP Council wants residents, council taxpayers, council service users, community groups, Town and Parish Councils, businesses and partner organisations to imagine that they were in charge of setting the local authority’s budget.
They will be invited to look at all key council services, from supporting vulnerable adults and children to maintaining roads and highways and indicate if they would like to see a spending increase or decrease in these areas.
Residents will also be asked to tell the authority what they think are its most important services, they will be asked about their views on Council Tax rates and indicate how informed they feel about the council’s overall financial situation.
The findings of this public consultation, which launches today, will help inform decisions on how the council sets it budget for 2025/6 and beyond.
BCP Council, like all other local authorities, is operating within an extremely challenging financial environment.
The surge in demand for council services continues to grow but the funding available to provide these services has simply not kept up with this need.
Over the last year BCP Council has taken positive steps to deliver a balanced and sustainable budget over the next four years (24/25 to 27/28) and is working hard to remain on track throughout the next financial year.
This means the council must be extremely careful with its budget and work to deliver services, savings and income while also looking to identify further potential savings and efficiencies when possible.
BCP Council Leader Millie Earl, said: “Councils across the country are dealing with an unprecedented funding crisis.
“Our priority is to protect key services, support the most vulnerable and provide a sound, stable financial future for the council, whilst working with other councils to raise the profile of the crisis in local government funding.
“Over the last year our robust financial governance and proactive budget management means we have taken significant steps to avoid serious government interventions that we have seen in other parts of the country. Our progress has seen government recently lift an improvement notice, known as a Best Value Notice, issued to us in 2023, following improvements in our culture, governance and finance.
“The council is working hard to remain on track throughout the next financial year. This means we must be hyper vigilant with our budget and work in a streamlined manner to find savings and efficiencies when we can.
“We’re putting our residents first. We want you to know we’re on your side and we want you to be involved in local decisions that affect you, your family and your community and that’s why we want to hear about your priorities for the council through this consultation.”
People have until 11:59pm on 29 November, 2024 to complete the survey and submit their ideas by visiting haveyoursay.bcpcouncil.gov.uk/budget
Hard copies are also available at local libraries.