Two weeks left to have your say on Council budget

There are just two weeks left to have your say about Derby City Council’s budget for 2024/25.

Anyone living, working or studying in Derby is urged to have their say on proposals for a balanced, responsible budget before the end of Friday 26 January.

It’s a challenging time for local government. Demand for services continues to increase, while high inflation, interest rates and rising prices make it more expensive for councils to provide them.

Despite these challenges, the Council is consulting on a balanced budget for 2024/25. This would be achieved through a mixture of proposed reductions to some services, continued transformation of the Council to become more efficient and manage demand, and using our maximum allowance of Council Tax.

Details of the proposals can be viewed with the consultation at letstalk.derby.gov.uk. The consultation can be completed online from now until Friday 26 January 2024. Paper copies can be downloaded and printed out from the website for return by post, and copies in alternative formats are available by emailing letstalkderby@derby.gov.uk or contacting us.

Alongside the main budget consultation is a separate consultation about the review of care packages for adults living in the community, to focus on the most essential needs of the most vulnerable people. More people over 85 and more people over 65 with complex needs require our help to live at home or in a supported setting, and the cost of providing care is increasing. This will be open for comment until Wednesday 7 February 2024 and can be found with the main budget consultation.

Councillor Baggy Shanker, Leader of Derby City Council and Cabinet Member for Strategy, Governance and Finance, said:

I would urge everyone who lives, works, does business or studies in Derby to take part in this consultation.

Massive reductions in funding from central Government since 2010 means councils are now in an extremely difficult place and finding it harder and harder to meet the rising demand for services. While we’re proposing a balanced budget and remain ambitious for our city, we will have to make changes and transform our services and we need to hear people’s views about this.

The budget proposals will be considered by the Council’s Executive Scrutiny Committee at a meeting on Monday 15 January at the Council House. The meeting starts at 6pm and will be streamed live on the Council’s YouTube channel.