Tameside Council seeks your view on £39.82m budget challenge

Since 2010, local Councils have experienced annual revenue budget constraints because of reductions in the Government’s support for a range of services including refuse collection, street cleaning, children’s services, adult social care, and homelessness. We are required to provide these services by law. In Tameside, our response has included efficiency savings which amount to more than £180 million at the time of writing. This is a real terms spending power reduction of 24% since 2010/2011. However, unless there is notable change in this trend, the Council will have to find a further £39.82m worth of budget reductions by 2028/29 while at the same time delivering critical front-line services. 

Next year (2024/25) the Council is budgeting for inflation increases of £24.89m and £12.42m for additional demand for services. To fund these costs, we propose to make £18.71m of budget reductions and increase income by £5.70m generated through a council tax increase of an increase of 2.99% to invest in existing services and a 2% precept to help give further support to adult social care services.

The Council remains committed to providing high-quality services and wants to hear the opinions of the borough’s residents as we put together the budget for 2024/25. You can tell us about your views through the Big Conversation online or ask for a paper copy at any of our libraries across the borough. What you tell us will help to shape the Council’s priorities as it sets its budgets for 2024/25 and beyond. The consultation is open at www.tameside.gov.uk/budgetconversation2024-25 until Friday 2nd February 2024. 

Councillor Jacqueline North, Tameside Council’s lead Member for Finance said:

“Since 2010, Tameside has faced real-terms reductions in government support, and despite the welcome increases in funding over the last two years it just hasn’t been enough. The Council has had to manage inflation costs across every service it delivers – Children’s Services placements have risen by 60%, pothole repairs have doubled in cost. Like other local authorities we have had to react to an unprecedented rise in demand for social care alongside sharp increases in the cost of that care. All this is happening whilst we have seen the amount of real-terms funding available to provide council services reduce each year by £688 for every household in these thirteen years.

We know for many the cost-of-living crisis is far from over yet half of any increase in the council’s spending power next year is likely to be funded by residents through Council Tax. To date the government has not taken any steps to deliver their promises on fairer funding across the country. This means no account is taken of local levels of poverty, wages, population need, or the ability of a local authority to raise income locally.

With our budget proposals for 2024/25 we are seeking to set out a realistic and effective way forward in this economic climate and we really want to know residents’ opinions and ideas. Please do tell us what your priorities are for how the Council spends your money and if you think something can be improved or done more efficiently, please let us know through this consultation.”

A council tax support scheme is available for those on the lowest incomes and Tameside Welfare Rights can help people maximise their income and offer advice on eligibility for benefits. You can visit www.tameside.gov.uk/helpinghand for cost of living support and advice. Alternatively call Tameside Council on 0161 342 8355.