Cornwall’s Draft Budget

Posted on: 1st September 2014

Cornwall’s Draft Budget has been revealed but the portfolio holder, Cllr Alex Folkes, stressed there are 2 months for all Cornwall Councillors, Town and Parish Councillors and the wider public to have their say. There will be budget consultation meetings around the County.

You can obtain a copy of the draft budget from your Cornwall Councillor or by visiting the Cornwall Council website. You can also register your comments on-line, using the link www.cornwall.gov.uk/cornwallbudget .

Some headlines are

  • £196m savings needed by end of financial year 2018/19, based on current Government trends
  • That represents an average saving of 30%, across Council Services, if the cuts were spread evenly
  • Based on consultations to date, services for vulnerable people, public transport subsidy and road repairs and maintenance will have less than a 30% cut and are proposed as protected services
  • Many services that local communities value will either have to be provided by different organisations or groups or they are unlikely to be affordable by 2019
  • Closer working with other public organisations, across Cornwall, will be stepped up
  • Opportunities for Cornwall Council to generate income through trading will be explored, something the Council’s Public Health and Protection Service has begun being successful at i.e selling its services and expertise to other Councils and companies that need it
  • The proposal cuts the staffing budget by £31m so that, sadly, will mean 100’s fewer staff employed by the Council by 2019
  • Achieving Fairer funding from Government would reduce the need for savings but not stop the cuts – it is estimated that a fairer funding formulae would give Cornwall an additional £48m each year.