Cabinet put forward budget for 2021/22 following wide-scale consultation with residents

Cabinet unanimously approved the budget and financial strategy for the next financial year which has been widely supported by residents in the Council’s public consultation.

The consultation, which took place in November 2020, saw local residents, businesses and organisations asked for feedback on the proposed budget approach for 2021/22.

358 responses were received, up from the 288 received for the 2020/21 budget.

45 per cent of respondents were in favour of the Councils spending priorities for the next financial year while 36 per cent disagreed and another 17 per cent of respondents neither agreed or disagreed.

58 per cent agreed with the principles of the Council’s Recovery Investment Strategy to help boost the economy, green technologies and deliver housing for local people at rents they can afford. This compares to 22 per cent who disagreed and 20 per cent who neither agreed or disagreed.

The Council’s budget consultation saw the majority of respondents in favour of a £5 rise in council tax for a property in Band D in 2021/22. 50 per cent of the respondents said they felt the District’s council tax level should rise by 10p a week (£5 a year) with 34 per cent saying it should stay the same.

Over 55 per cent of people agreed with the Council’s approach to charging for services to ensure Council services are not subsidised by other taxpayers. 29 per cent disagreed with this approach while 15 per cent neither agreed or disagreed.

Comments from the consultation highlighted that residents would like to see improvements to the public realm. In response, Cabinet proposed the inclusion of one-off funding of £200,000 for an initial two-year Civic Pride Programme to make improvements to the public realm across the District’s five largest settlements and in the Cotswold Water Park.

Cllr Mike Evemy, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance, said: “I would like to thank everyone who took the time to respond to our consultation. It is incredibly important that as a Council we are transparent with how we spend taxpayers money and give residents the chance to have their say on how we raise and spend our budget.

“This budget will help us rebuild the Council’s finances after an incredibly challenging year, delivering on our ambitious and comprehensive plan for the Cotswolds.

“This budget is also deliverable and prudent and includes over £388,000 worth of savings. It brings to life the aims and ambitions of our administration. We’re going to support our residents and businesses in recovering from Covid-19, we will tackle the climate emergency and deliver more social rented homes. We’re also going to help strengthen our local economy, improve local places and continue to build the financial resilience of the Council.”

The budget will be considered by Full Council Wednesday 24 February for final approval.

Read the full Cabinet agenda and reports, here: http://bit.ly/3rc7YXP 

Read the budget consultation feedback report, here: https://bit.ly/3rmMwQ0