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Residents of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole are to be invited to have their say on the council’s plans for setting next year’s budget.
People have until 11:59pm on Wednesday 20 December 2023 to complete the survey and submit their ideas by visiting haveyoursay.bcpcouncil.gov.uk/budget
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council’s budget consultation, which launches today, 21 November, will enable residents to consider specific saving proposals before any decisions are formally made.
Feedback from council taxpayers, residents, council service users, community groups, Town and Parish Councils, businesses and partner organisations will contribute to the ongoing work to prioritise proposals for next year’s budget setting which is due to take place in February 2024.
UK councils currently face an unprecedented challenge. Soaring inflation has driven up costs and many councils are facing an increase in demand for their services, such as social care and children’s services.
BCP Council share these challenges as it works to close a £44million funding gap. It is estimated that the council receives £100m per year less in government funding than it would have, had it existed in 2010.
The council currently spends £315.3 million delivering public services to more than 400,000 residents across Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole.
Most of this money is spent providing services for when people need support most and this means keeping children and vulnerable adults safe.
The rising demand on council services combined with an increase in costs to provide services is predicted to add an extra £12.6 million to the cost of running the BCP Council over the next financial year, not including any provision needed to cover increases in pay.
The consultation is seeking views on potential changes in the following services:
- Library opening hours
- Street lighting
- Public Protection
- Community Safety Accreditation Scheme
- CCTV
- Christchurch Household Recycling Centre
- Paddling Pools
- Grounds Maintenance Service
- Hengistbury Head Outdoor Education Centre
- School Crossing Patrol
BCP Council Leader Vikki Slade said: “We have promised you that we will be open and transparent throughout this difficult process, so that’s why we want to hear from you through the consultation process to help us prioritise our budget proposals.
“We are facing a challenging economic environment on a scale we’ve never experienced before.
“We are not alone in this – we are dealing with the same tough financial pressures as all other local authorities are.
“We are taking steps to avoid serious government interventions that have taken place in other parts of the country. Our priority is to set a sustainable and balanced budget.
“As such, we are managing the situation, working with officers and members, stakeholders and residents, to do what’s best for Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole so that we can protect the council and the core services we provide.
“As a responsible council, we have a legal obligation to balance our budget and provide essential services to support the most vulnerable in our society, keep our communities clean and safe, and maintain core infrastructure.
“We are the safety net for some of the most vulnerable in our society – so we must make sure we have the funds to support them when they need us most.
“We cannot afford to continue living beyond our means and that means we need to look at what services we can afford to continue to provide in the future.”
People have until 11:59pm on Wednesday 20 December 2023 to complete the survey and submit their ideas by visiting haveyoursay.bcpcouncil.gov.uk/budget
Hard copies are also available at local libraries.
Service-specific consultations will take place separately following this wider consultation. BCP Council will share details of these subsequent consultations in due course.
Earlier this month the council detailed how it has identified savings, efficiencies and income that could reduce that budget gap from £44M to £12M.
Some of these savings have come from the council’s transformation programme which has been working to redesign services to make them more efficient, and in turn, more cost effective to run, but other savings must come from reductions in key services as well.
Urgent work is continuing to close the remaining £12M funding gap through identifying other ways to reduce services or make efficiency gains where we can.
