Have your say on Torbay Council's budget proposals

Torbay Council’s Cabinet has now published its revenue and capital budget proposals for 2024/25 and wants to hear from those who live and work in Torbay what their thoughts are on them, helping to shape next year’s plans.

The proposed budget has been prepared during a period of continued financial uncertainty.

Even though the high rates of inflation are reducing, residents and businesses continue to struggle with high prices, which in turn impacts on the Council’s income levels. The Council, like all businesses, are also continuing to pay more for goods and services.  

The Council currently delivers £350m worth of services to those who live and work in Torbay. Not everyone has experience of all these services, but there continues to be a need for all of them. Along with the population living longer and cost of living pressures, the council are experiencing an increase in the demand for its services as well as an increase in the costs providing them.

The Local Government Finance Settlement for 2024/25 was issued in late December 2023, highlighting that total Core Spending Power will rise by 6.5 per cent in 2024/25. Whilst the Revenue Support Grant was increased for inflation, this only accounts for £8.2m and most of the funding now comes from Council Tax and Business Rates. 

At this stage of the budget setting, the Council need to find a further circa £300,000 of extra income or cost savings. There is absolute confidence that these savings will be delivered over the next financial year to create a balanced budget.

The savings will be focussed on ‘big ticket’ items that will be delivered over a number of years, ensuring a long term sustainable financial future for the Council; whilst also providing better outcomes for children and young people, vulnerable adults and those facing uncertain housing situations.

Ensuring that residents are put at the heart of everything the council does, the Cabinet is looking to focus on the following areas in 2024/25:

Children’s Services

• Invest £1.9 million into Children’s Services to meet the ongoing service demand and inflationary increases in pay and provider costs.
• Continued focus on early help, prevention and Family Hubs, ensuring more children and young people stay within a family-based environment.
• Review and carefully revise the current home to school transport provision while supporting the needs of those who use the service.

Adult Social Care

• Increase the contract fee to Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust by £1.1m to support the pressure they are experiencing in delivering services to vulnerable adults.
• Focus on reablement, learning disability support and extra care provisions, working efficiently while promoting independence and supporting people to remain in their own homes.

Temporary Accommodation

• Invest an additional £0.9m to meet the pressures of temporary accommodation, prevent homelessness and supporting the operation of the homeless hostel.
• Focus on prevention, helping people to maintain stable, sustainable, self-funded housing through the right targeted intervention.

Pride in Torbay

• Through Operation Brighter Bay, invest £300,000 per year to bring the three towns of Torquay, Paignton and Brixham up to a standard to be proud of. This will include increases in grass cutting, keeping kerbsides weed free, improving road marking, cleaning of town centres and repairing of potholes.
• Operation Town Centre’s will see an investment of £300,000 per year to tackle anti-social behaviour and its causes.
• Allocate £1m over four years to support the running of highly valued events.
• Fund urgent repairs at Oldway Mansion

The Capital plan includes:

• Working with newly announced Regeneration Partner to deliver the aims of the Capital Plan with more confidence and certainty.
• £25m of capital works to take place including flood defences, schools and housing.

The Council will continue to use its resources to best effects. This will include investing in services like IT, increasing fees and charges in line with inflation, as well as making savings in running and live streaming statutory meetings.