Forest of Dean District Council agrees budget plans for 2023/24
Forest of Dean District Council has agreed its budget for the next financial year, with the Council looking to manage the increased costs of inflation to continue to deliver local services and investment for residents across the district.
Cabinet Member for Finance, Cllr Richard Leppington, said:
“I am pleased to announce we have delivered a budget that not only continues to deliver high quality services but also allows us to tackle some of the key issues we know matter to residents of the Forest of Dean. This budget has been agreed without having to draw on reserves, something that very few other councils have been able to do.
“Over the past 10 years we have lost a great deal of our funding and we’re expecting to lose more funding from the Government in the coming years. When this is considered alongside the rising inflation and increased service costs, it is clear to see the financial pressures that we are facing as a district council.
“In order to continue to provide all the services we deliver for you while still delivering high quality services, we have been working hard to make savings and this year alone we are projected to save more than £340,000.
“We receive less than 9.44p from every £1 of the Council Tax bill that you pay, with the majority going to the County Council and other public organisations, however we are still able to deliver over 50 services for residents including waste collections, planning, supporting local communities and businesses, and much more.”
Forest of Dean District Council is responsible for a number of local services such as waste collection, planning, licensing, housing, parking and leisure with the county council delivering other services such as maintaining roads, adult social care, education, children’s services and public health.
The District Council receives only 9.44% of the total council tax bill residents pay, which is split between the district council, county council, police and fire service. Residents can see the exact split in their council tax bill.
As well as continuing to provide its services, the Council will also be supporting the Levelling Up projects with the regeneration of Fives Acres, the new enterprise education facility at Hartpury University and College and the regeneration and redevelopment of facilities in Cinderford.
The budget agreed by Council includes a council tax rise of 11p per week for the average band D household. As part of the funding settlement from the Government it was expected that all local authorities raise their council tax.
Cllr Richard Leppington added:
“Due to rising costs and the financial challenges that we face we have had to make some difficult decisions and we appreciate that some residents may require support at this difficult time. If you’d like to discuss the support available to you, please visit our website or call our customer services team to see if you are eligible for help through our Council Tax Support Scheme.”
If you are interested in finding out more about how we spend the council tax we receive, please use these webpages to find out what we achieved last year and what we have planned for 2023/24.