Full Council agreed the Council’s budget for 2023/24 when they reconvened yesterday.

The budget was passed by 15 votes to 7, with a number of abstentions. The meeting had been adjourned from Monday 28 February when the budget proposals did not gain majority support from Councillors.

Prior to Full Council meeting on Monday, the budget proposals had been updated following a public consultation earlier in the year. These were all voted through together with a new addendum of an additional £105,000, funded from reserves, for two new full-time-equivalent officer posts to work with children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

The meeting also saw the confirmation of Council Tax rates from April, which will rise by 4.99%, 2% of which is ring-fenced for social care.

This means households in Band D will pay £1,656.67 towards the Council’s services in 2023/24. The majority of households in Derby fall under Band A, which will pay £1,104.45.

When the Police and Fire Authority precepts are taken into account, the total annual Council Tax bill from April for a Band D property will be £2,009.11, and £1,339.41 for a Band A property.

The meeting can be viewed on the Council’s YouTube channel.

Just as household budgets have been hit by increasing energy costs and inflation, councils across the country have also been affected as demand grows for services, particularly for the most vulnerable children and elderly people.

In addition to the Council having to find unprecedented savings for 2023/24 in a very short space of time, it is forecasting the need for a further similar amount by 2025/26 without local government funding reforms. 

A total of 524 people responded to the recent public consultation, which was almost five times more than the 108 who took part last year. An additional consultation around specific people’s services attracted a further 212 responses.

Councillor Jonathan Smale, Cabinet Member for Finance, Digital and Culture, said:

Like Councils across the country, the economic situation has left us facing some very difficult decisions this year. This is not the budget we wanted to set.

But it’s now time to confirm our commitment to Derby and our ambition for our city, and to doing the best with the resources we have, and with our partners, for everyone who lives, works and does business here.