South Bedfordshire District Council Passes 2008/2009 Budget

At a full meeting of South Bedfordshire District Council on 26 February 2008, councillors approved the authority’s budget for 2008/2009 and beyond, possibly the last such budget before the reorganisation of local government in Bedfordshire.

Key features of the budget include

• No increase in car parking and local land charges

• Savings in employees costs of £300,000

• Council Tax increased by 2.99%, the lowest increase of any authority in Bedfordshire for the second year running, equivalent to 9p more a week for the average Band D property

Commending the budget to councillors, Councillor Philip Penman, Executive Member for Resource Management, said that the aim was to deliver the twin objectives of improving services and reducing the burden of high increases in Council Tax. 

This was being achieved through measures to improve the efficiency of the council through budget monitoring, costs control, changes in procurement processes and careful performance management, “to put the customer at the heart of everything we do.” 

Councillor Penman pointed out that the government’s three-year grant settlement had been lower than anticipated, leading to a projected loss of £1.2m in revenue resources over the next five years.  Increases in government grant will be only 2.2% in financial year 2008/2009.

Despite these and other constraints, Councillor Penman continued, this was a balanced and sustainable budget.  It keeps fees and charges to their present level, introduces new capital schemes to the value of £3.4m for the Housing Revenue account, for the towns and rural areas of the district, will pump £100,000 a year into council house improvements and covers the cost of new government initiatives. In a period of great change for the council, this was “a prudent budget, improving services whilst keeping tax as low as possible.”