West Sussex County Council ‘in a sound financial position despite challenges’

The increase was supported during a meeting of the cabinet on Tuesday (February 1) and is scheduled to be approved later this month.

Made up of a 1.99 per cent core increase and a one per cent precept for adult social care, the rise will see Band D bills jump from £1,510.56 to £1,555.74, with demands from Sussex Police and the district/borough councils still to be added.

Cabinet members also supported the proposed budget for 2022/23, which included a £23.5m increase to revenue – day-to-day – spending.

Jeremy Hunt, cabinet member for finance, said this showed the council’s ‘continuing support for our excellent front-line services’.

Mr Hunt added that the 2022/23 budget was balanced – as required by law – and the council was looking to finish 2021/22 ‘on budget’.

He added: “I’d like to reassure all our members and our residents that, despite the challenges we have faced and are continuing to face, this county council is in a sound financial position.”

A report to the cabinet gave an update on the provisional local government finance settlement, which was announced in December.

It included a £79.269m settlement funding assessment, a £25.827m social care support grant, and a £1.959m new homes bonus.

Mr Hunt said there had been ‘no surprises’ in the figures which were ‘very much in line with what we anticipated’.

Looking to the coming years, he warned against complacency, forecasting a £63m budget gap between 2023/24 and 2025/26.

In a report to the cabinet, Katharine Eberhart, director of finance, said the council had delivered around £287m of savings since austerity began in 2010.

She added: “Setting a balanced budget has become more challenging each year as we deal with uncertainty in government funding as well as increasing demand and costs, especially in our social care services.

“This continues to be particularly relevant for 2022/23 given the ongoing financial uncertainty created by the pandemic.”

There was concern from members of the opposition about the impact an increase in council tax would have on top of other growing expenses – such as National Insurance and energy costs – faced by residents.

Liberal Democrat group leader Kirsty Lord said: “As we think about a job well done – about a balanced budget – we have to think about it in the context of the huge impact on residents’ pockets over the coming year.

“Life is getting tougher for our residents and that’s after the past two years of extreme restrictions that we faced.”

Labour group leader Caroline Baxter said the government settlement was ‘a fraction’ of what the council needed.

Sharing Ms Lord’s concerns about the ever-increasing financial pressures on residents, she added: “When we speak of this council’s financial pressures, inflationary pressures and balancing our budget, I urge that this council presents it hand-in-hand by acknowledging household inflationary pressures, health and wellbeing pressures and the imbalance that these budgets are potentially creating for residents.

“As their needs increase, it seems our support is sometimes diminishing.”

The budget is scheduled to be approved at a meeting of the full council on Friday February 18.