CE Budget Consultation Survey

Editor's note:- Audlem's Parish Council Clerk (Carol Bell) has requested that we publish the following important information from Cheshire East

CE Budget Consultation Survey

We have launched the public consultation about the council's budget for 2024/25 and are asking for your input.

We know that costs and demand for council services will significantly exceed the levels of income we had planned for in the (click to open)Council's Medium-Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) 2023-27, agreed in February 2023. Many of the pressures we have seen through 2023/24 still apply and are set to escalate further.

These include the impacts of high inflation and high interest rates on loan payments seen throughout the year, the high level of demand for council services and increasing costs and complexity of needs for those children and older people who most need the council's help.

There is also financial uncertainty following the Government's announcement, in October, of the cancellation of HS2 north of Birmingham and the potential impacts on Crewe, Cheshire East and the wider region. This is on top of reduction of Government funding for day-to-day services – the funding for Cheshire East Council has been cut by 63% in real terms since 2010.

The budget consultation survey is for residents and other stakeholders to provide feedback on a range of budget proposals which will be considered by councillors as part of the decision-making process to set a balanced budget for the council in 2024/25.

Following publication of the draft financial strategy and budget consultation, the council's service committees will consider the budget proposals at public meetings in January and February.

The decision to approve and adopt the budget will be taken at a full council meeting on 27 February.

The consultation is open until 23:59 on 28 January 2024. After this date, members of the public and other stakeholders can still contact their local ward members about the proposals ahead of the full council decision on 27 February 2024.

Access the survey here: (click to open)Cheshire East Council Budget Consultation for 2024 to 2025