Hundreds respond to Council Budget Survey
Published: 14 February 2023
Hundreds of local people from Redbridge have responded to Redbridge Council’s recent Budget Survey, published ahead of the Council setting the 2023/24 Budget.
The survey follows a decade of Government austerity reducing grant settlement funding to London councils by an average of 63% since 2010. To make ends meet, councils have had to make tough decisions, reducing costs and increasing revenue where possible.
With the cost of living rising, energy bills, and increased inflation impacting councils across the country, Council Leader, Cllr Jas Athwal, has called on Government to increase funding for Redbridge to meet these rising costs while continuing to provide key services for local people. As part of the Council’s campaign for fair funding, an online letter to the Prime Minister has received hundreds of signatures.
To determine where to focus limited funding, Redbridge Council launched a Budget Survey in December 2022, asking local people to share what services matter most to them.
More than 400 local people completed the survey, sharing their views with the Council, and these results are being considered as part of the 2023/24 Redbridge Council Budget process.
When completing the survey, local people ranked the council services that matter most to them. The top-rated services were:
1) A weekly bin collection
2) Keeping parks and outdoor areas clean and attractive
3) Keeping all libraries open
Keeping Redbridge Safe was identified as a top priority in the 2021 Residents’ Survey. In the Budget Survey, local people prioritised additional Council Enforcement Officers and more patrols. They suggested heavier fines, local neighbourhood watches, and lobbying Government for more funding to tackle criminal activity in the borough.
Other priorities identified in the survey were maintaining roads and keeping streets clean.
When asked how the Council can support local people through the rising cost of living, respondents highlighted continuing to support children with free school meals through the holidays, providing free warm spaces and helping pensioners pay their bills.
The Council also asked local people how they could help their communities through the rising cost of living. The top responses were; helping out neighbours with jobs like shopping, supporting litter picking, and shopping locally.
The top priorities for council capital investment were improving local high streets and building more social housing.
Cllr Kam Rai, Deputy Leader of Redbridge Council and Cabinet Member for Finance, Leisure & Culture, said: “The cost of living crisis has impacted us all, putting intense pressure on already diminished council budgets. Despite these increasing pressures, we are determined to protect the services local people value most from further Government cuts to funding.
“Redbridge is among the lowest funded London boroughs, and we have to make tough decisions to balance the budget while ensuring the most vulnerable in our communities get the support they deserve.
“Despite the fact we have been forced to make £236 million of savings because of austerity, we will continue to listen to our neighbours and fight for the services that you care about most.”
Redbridge Council provides 400 services locally, including waste collection, enforcement, libraries and safeguarding. Increased fuel and energy bills and rising inflation are set to significantly increase council costs to provide the same services.”
The Budget setting process is ongoing, and the final 2023/24 Council Budget will be announced at Full Council on Thursday 23rd February, at 7.15pm.
Join the campaign for fair funding and sign the letter.
Please visit the council website to find out more about the budget.
