Shropshire Council has published themes for consultation to help further reduce its budget next year, as it continues to face a very challenging financial climate.
Among the ideas proposed to go out to public consultation next month include reviewing collections for household waste, park and ride services in Ludlow and Shrewsbury, charges for social care and civil enforcement of issues such as dog fouling, litter and parking.
The consultation will form a key part of the council’s budget setting process for 2025/26.
More detail about the areas to be reviewed, which have been discussed by a cross-party budget group, will be published when the budget consultation starts during December.
Later in December there will also be greater clarity on the continuing financial challenge Shropshire faces, driven mainly by rising demand for social care and higher costs, once the council receives its budget settlement from Government.
A report to the Transformation and Improvement Overview Scrutiny Committee on 2 December outlines the work of a new collaborative, cross-party budget process involving leaders from all political groups on the council.
In 2024/25, the council is on track to save a record £47m from its day-to-day spending budget, following £40m of savings made in the previous year
This has included introducing a subscription charge for garden waste, a resizing programme that will reduce the council by around 540 posts, and moving out of its energy-hungry Shirehall headquarters to the smaller Guildhall in Shrewsbury town centre, which it already owns.
However, it is certain that further budget savings will be needed next year as demand for social care continues to grow, cost pressures remain and the council needs to cover off further savings it has yet to deliver.
Much of this can be achieved by changing how the council operates, reducing staff wherever possible through vacancy management and voluntary redundancy, and reducing spend on major contracts, while the collaborative budget process highlights the themes that through consultation can be explored in more detail.
The themes, about which more details will be published during week commencing 9 December, include:
- Reviewing household waste collections
- Reviewing Park and Ride services in Ludlow and Shrewsbury and how these are funded
- Reviewing enforcement for littering, dog fouling and illegal parking
- Reviewing a range of options for car parking in town centres
- Reviewing charges for social care support
- Reviewing whether more services could be devolved to other organisations
Lezley Picton, leader of Shropshire Council said:
“We’ve been consistent and clear about the scale of financial challenge we face from a growing need for social care, in particular, and rising costs, just like councils all over the country.
“People in Shropshire are feeling the effect of changes we’ve had to make this year, such as charging for garden waste.
“However, more difficult decisions are needed to ensure that we continue on the path towards a financially sustainable future.
“I’m grateful to all political group leaders on Shropshire Council for their discussion in gathering these themes for consultation on the difficult choices that lie ahead. We must build on this momentum together and continue to close the gap for future years.
“In December, this public consultation will provide more detail on a number of areas for review, seeking the views of people across Shropshire and setting out some of decisions we face to ensure we become a financially sustainable council.“
The survey is expected to launch in the week commencing 9 December 2024 and will be promoted widely so everybody in Shropshire can have their say.
View the report in full: Agenda for Transformation and Improvement Overview and Scrutiny Committee on Monday, 2nd December, 2024, 10.00 am — Shropshire Council
