Draft budget consultation 2024/25

We're seeking your views on our proposed 2024/25 budget.

Our draft budget for 2024/25 is balanced, meaning the amount we intend to spend is around the same as the income we expect to receive, we have achieved this through identifying and planning savings.

Within the budget for the coming year, we will be making no cuts to any of our core services. In addition, we have set aside funding for:

• Ongoing support for some of Breckland's most vulnerable residents.
   
• Continued work with our partners and residents to tackle climate change, including delivering initiatives that will make us a net-zero carbon emissions organisation by 2035.
   
• Ongoing business support, including the provision of a centrally-funded discount for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses that pay business rates.

As your local district council, Breckland Council is responsible for collecting council tax from local residents and businesses. However, we only keep 5p in every pound we collect from households. The rest of the money is collected on behalf of your local town and parish council (who get around 5p per pound), Norfolk County Council (around 76p) and Norfolk Police (around 14p).

We will be able to balance our district council budget without using core funding reserves if we increase annual district council tax by £4.95 for a band D property in 2024/25. Although, most people in the district would see a smaller rise, as around 75% of houses are in bands A-C which pay lower tax rates. For a typical Band D property in Breckland, that equates to around £100 per year for all the district council services, such as bin collections, planning, licensing, housing, and more.

Your overall bill will be higher than this though, as it includes tax set by the other organisations referenced above - the county council, town / parish council, and police and crime commissioner.

In the year 2025-2026  there is continued uncertainty around levels of future government funding, fees and charges income and cost pressures, as yet unknown. Therefore we will continue to seek efficiencies with the aim of continuing to protect out frontline services. However, this process will be dependent on the timing and size of future funding levels that have yet to be confirmed.

The draft budget is due to be discussed by our Cabinet in January 2024.View the proposed draft budget papers and associated appendices (opens new window)

Feedback from members of the public and councillors will be used to inform revisions to the budget, which will be presented to Full Council for consideration in February 2024.

You can share your feedback on the draft proposals for the 2024/25 budget by emailingconsultation@breckland.gov.uk before midnight on the closing day of Sunday, 21 January 2024.