Have your say on Council budget proposals

Harborough District Council has set out its budget priorities for 2023/24 as it continues to address the major impacts of the cost-of-living crisis.

All services have been reviewing their budgets and have generated net savings of £957k for 2023/24.

Despite significant increases in inflation the Council has delivered several initiatives over the past year, including:

• a new Corporate Plan
• development of both a Young Persons and Rural Strategies
• continued its significant ICT transformation programme
• been successful in achieving considerable external government funding (including £2.1m in UK Shared Prosperity Fund)
• distributed £630k in Jubilee Grants to celebrate the late HM the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee

Proposals have also been put forward to increase Harborough District Council’s share of the Council Tax by 2.99%, £5.32 a year, per Band D household, in the Harborough district. This year, there is an expectation from Government that local authorities should increase their Council Tax to the maximum allowable.

The Council remains ‘committed to financial sustainability and resilience’ to enable community investment.

Cllr James Hallam, Harborough District Council’s Cabinet lead for finance, said: “We are always working to identify savings and more efficient ways of working across the Council as we continue to focus on delivering high quality services that have a positive impact on residents and businesses in the district and deliver new initiatives to benefit our communities. We encourage residents to have their say on our budget proposals for 2023-24 by completing our short survey.”

On 16 January 2023, Harborough District Council’s Cabinet considered the Draft Budget 2023/24 and the Medium-Term Financial Strategy (2024/25 to 2027/28) and agreed that it should move to consultation.

On 6 February 2023, Cabinet will agree its formal recommendations on the proposed budget to Council for consideration on 27 February 2023.

In the meantime, residents and businesses can have their say on the proposals at: www.harborough.gov.uk/budget-proposals until 9am on 6 February 2023.