Proposed council budget for Wiltshire and how it will affect you

Among the proposal is a rise in council tax, plus a temporary recruitment freeze. 

However it said that it also includes an additional £69m that it says will ensure it remains a place 'people want to live in, work or visit'.

Image Stock Image (Image: Photo agency)

The proposed budget for 2023-2024 is £465m. 

The council is releasing £13m of reserves for business priorities and for supporting housing provisions during the cost-of-living crisis.

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Leader of Wiltshire Council, Cllr Richard Clewer, said: “The factors that are currently affecting everyone in their day-to-day lives, such as huge inflation, energy costs, and the cost-of-living crisis, are what we as a council and organisation are facing, too.

“For a number of years now we have had to overcome eye-watering budget gaps and we believe we have still provided quality services in the face of this.

“Through sound financial management, having a clear business plan which drives everything we do, and always favouring the bigger picture over short-term fixes, we believe we are in a much better place than other local authorities, and that allows us to put forward a balanced budget proposal that sees a financially sustainable council living within its means.”

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Budget spend

The most significant spending in 2023/2024 will be on:

• Whole life pathway – this includes mental health, autism spectrum conditions and learning disabilities support services. This includes an increase of £11m taking it to £96m.
• Living and ageing well (adult care). This includes an increase of £15m taking it to £83m
• Families and children – there is an increase of £2m taking it to £63m
• Environment including waste and recycling services – there is an increase of £4m taking it to £48m
• Highways and transport – an increase of £3m taking it to £41m
• Education and skills – an increase of £6m taking it to £29m

The council said it will continue to invest in the improvement and maintenance of the county’s infrastructure including a £7.585m spend on Salisbury Future High Streets and a £1.261m spend on the A338 Salisbury Junction improvements.

Council tax

Image Stock Photo (Image: Photo agency)

Due to greater flexibility on how councils set council tax, Wiltshire Council proposes a 2.99 per cent increase plus a 2 per cent levy to be spent on adult social care. For those with a Band D property, it will mean an increase of £1.57 per week.

Cllr Clewer said: “We don’t make decisions such as proposing an increase to council tax lightly, as we know people are struggling at the moment, but these are necessary choices for us to provide the types of services that people rely on.

“We are also focusing on transforming and modernising our services to adapt to changing demand and new technology, not simply make cuts. Despite the challenges, we are still planning a significant uplift in spending on services in our county over the coming years.

“Also, through sound financial management, we are able to release some of the reserves we have previously set aside to address some of the specific areas of priority inside our Business Plan. 

"Unlike many councils, we are not using reserves to balance our books but instead to improve services for the future.”

Staff savings

It said that it could also save money through the deletion of some vacant posts, a recruitment freeze and cutting spend on agency staff.

It is also prosing a freeze on incremental pay progression, if agreed with the recognised trade unions.

Cllr Clewer added: “Wiltshire is a thriving county with a rich and diverse heritage, and we remain focused on doing what is right for it and our communities over the long term.”

A public webinar will be hosted on Wednesday, January 25. For more, go to wiltshire.gov.uk