From the Chamber: Council Budget
Cllr Imogen Shepherd-Dubey is executive member for finance
It is that time of year where we at Wokingham Borough Council are setting the budget for next year. So far, our budget for next year has been through a series of reviews in our scrutiny meetings, on which councillors from all parties sit. It is usually presented on a directorate level and allows our Councillors to ask questions and shape the priorities.
At our January Council meeting, this year, we agreed the Council Tax Base. This is used to calculate our Council Tax income, for next year. There are 74,902 properties on the WBC Council Tax register as per 1st October 2024 – this is an increase of 899 homes from the previous year.
This, of course, was ahead of our previous housing target of 748 new homes per year, but is now woefully short of the new housing target we have been given of 1,336. No allowances are being given for any previous over-delivery of housing. I often get asked if these new houses are giving the council extra money? Well, they are, but they too need their bins emptying, roads repaired and their children need to be placed in schools, so the additional housing does not help with the financial squeeze that the council is being put under.
Our biggest area of financial pressure is Adult Social Care – which is better explained as looking after looking after older and disabled people. Second is Children’s Services, particularly in the area of educating children with special educational needs and getting children to school. These areas amount to around 70% of your Council tax and all other areas such as road repairs, grass cutting, parks and libraries have to squeeze into the remaining 30%.
We also put extra funding into our Council Tax Support Scheme, which provides discounts in Council Tax payments on a sliding scale, to our residents on the lowest incomes. Any resident who really cannot afford to pay council tax can be exempted completely, but we also offer additional financial help and support to anyone who is on a low income including directing people to our charitable partners.
While we will have to make some difficult decisions and there will have to be some moderate increases in our fees and charges, the good news will be that I am expecting us to continue to provide services to our residents without crippling increases. Our neighbours next door in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead are asking for a 25% increase in Council Tax – that will not be us in Wokingham Borough Council.