Cornwall Council has set it’s Budget for 2019/20

Posted on: 2nd March 2019

#StandUpForCornwall

This Campaign continues alongside managing the budget responsibly. Fairer Funding from Government would give Cornwall £39m more to spend on public services; that’s an extra £70/ resident!

Council tax in Cornwall will rise by 3.99% in April after a full meeting of Cornwall Council accepted the cabinet’s budget proposals.

It means those living in a Band B property will pay an extra 88p a week for a budget designed to protect vital frontline services for the most vulnerable residents in Cornwall.

Plans for an ambitious business plan for Cornwall, including investments in Hayle Harbour and Torpoint, which will help ensure  a strong economy post Brexit, were also approved by the full council.

The proposals were debated at New County Hall in Truro today, with three alternative budget amendments also scrutinised and debated by councillors.

One amendment, which will see funding taken from reserves and spent on children’s public health services, was approved by 54 votes to 53 votes with 3 abstentions.

Over 80,000 residents had their say on the budget during the community consultation helping to develop the final proposals which include:

•             an extra £17 million over the next four years to meet the increasing demand for social care for vulnerable adults;

•             increasing funding for services for vulnerable children and families by 10%;

•             investing an additional £30 million in our roads;

•             putting an extra £10 million into pay packages through the council’s commitment to a genuine living wage for people  in Cornwall;

•             directly investing in homes and jobs that people in Cornwall need, with Cornwall Council being the number one area  for the  delivery of affordable housing;

•             protecting evening and weekend bus services for our residents and creating one of the best integrated rural transport  services in the country with smart ticketing; and

•             almost £30m investment into digital improvements and the wider roll-out of superfast broadband across Cornwall.

The Deputy Leader of Cornwall Council and Cabinet portfolio holder for resources, Julian German, said setting the council’s budget and council tax for 2019/20 and planning for the years beyond was more challenging than ever.

He said:  “In an era of such uncertainty, and ever-decreasing funding from central Government, it is a challenging task to produce a budget.

“However, I am delighted that we have produced a plan which will both protect the most vulnerable members of society, and will help us to build a prosperous and sustainable economy for Cornwall.”