AMID much drumming of tables by Redditch Conservative councillors the borough’s £10.5million budget for 2022-23 was duly passed at the town hall on Monday evening.
And well they might given the financial constraints the council is under with belt tightening across the board – more than £300,000 – to meet the requirement of a balanced budget.
It will only get tougher in the years ahead with the authority’s bank balance forecast to fall below the £1.5m required by £500,000 in 2023-24 and £1.2m in 2024-25 unless more funding is forthcoming.
Councillor Mike Rouse (Con, Church Hill) whose portfolio covers finance and enabling, said: “The council has identified another £300,000 in savings and additional income this year, and put £59,000 towards improving access to our online service.
“The improved capital programme meanwhile puts our money where our mouth is on climate change, with £1.5m to improve and look at decarbonising the fleet of vehicles that serves Redditch.
“We have also ensured that residents will continue to see improvements to their local parks and open spaces, with over £350,000 from planning gains to improve facilities at Birchfield Road, Forge Mill, Winyates, a new multi-use games area in Greenlands, and more.
“Of course, the combined effects of Covid, inflation, and uncertainty over government funding now means there’s even more work to do just to ensure the council will remain financially viable.
“We’ve come a long, long way on financial sustainability in Redditch over the last few years but even so, nobody should be under any illusions over the scale of the task that’s now ahead.”
Coun Debbie Chance (Lab, Central) added that much of the money spent on improving parks and open spaces wasn’t council money at all, but came from developers as a requirement to enhance surrounding areas, known as Section 106 money.
To which Coun Rouse replied: “Whether the money comes from Section 106 or not it is where the money is decided to be used that counts.”
The council’s Labour Leader Coun Andy Fry (Lodge Park) congratulated the ruling group on producing a balanced budget, but pointed out that actually it was the officers who did the work, just as they had done when his party was in control.
He added that given the lack of growth detailed in the budget his party would be unable to support it.
Put to the vote, there were 24 for while Labour abstained.
