South Cambridgeshire District Council's plans for the year ahead will see it remain one of the lowest taxing authorities in the country.
At today's (Tuesday, February 27) All-Council meeting, members voted to support a budget and business plan for the next 12 months, with the budget addressing population growth, rising costs due to inflation and the national homelessness crisis. It was set against this difficult background. crisis.
The plan maintains the council as one of the lowest taxing authorities in the country, with an annual increase of £5 for the average Band D home, which equates to an increase in inflation of around less than 3%. Masu.
Additionally, a budget of £519,000 has been agreed as part of the council’s ongoing digital transformation efforts. This aims to make services more accessible in a way that is beneficial to residents. This covers the cost of the software and personnel needed to help customers get the support they need.
This includes the council's first public use of AI in providing direct support to residents. Customers who use the website or call the council outside normal business hours can have their questions answered by AI and can also send further information via text message. This use of AI is expected to be operational by March 2025. Meanwhile, an ongoing program to update the council's income and benefits capabilities will help improve customer service in this important area through more convenient access to support.
Elsewhere, the council’s investment in community facilities for the new town of Northstowe continues after plans for a Phase 1 community center were approved in December last year. The additional funding allocated to this project by the council has enabled the design of an ultra-sustainable building that meets the changing demands of the community as it grows. The center has been designed on net-zero principles, with heating provided by geothermal heat pumps, a striking roof shape, a landmark design at the town entrance, and solar panel capacity. Maximizes both.
The quality of the design has attracted significant interest from companies wishing to build it, and the council plans to award the contract in early March, with the aim of handing over the completed building by spring 2026. This follows the recent official opening of Northstowe's Sports Pavilion. Modern, high quality sports pitches are also provided by the council.
Greater Cambridge Shared Waste, a partnership between South Cambridgeshire District and Cambridge City Council, will continue its service allowing residents to deposit small household appliances into pink banks. Brightly colored banks are suitable for collecting most small items with plugs and batteries, such as phones, toys, kettles, etc. More than 50 tonnes of small electrical goods have been collected for recycling since the trial began two years ago.
Greater Cambridge Shared Waste is also continuing its efforts to decarbonise its garbage trucks. Three electric trucks are already collecting recyclables and waste from residents, and a fourth is expected to start operating in the coming months. The decarbonization plan also includes the continued use of hydrotreated vegetable oil on some ships.
With a national focus on the Cambridge region, maintaining investment and support for the Greater Cambridge Shared Plan will help the Council engage with and counter the Government's recently established 'Cambridge Delivery Group'. This means that it can continuously deploy its own specialist “super squad” to Our planning services are also shared with Cambridge City Council, where we are already helping councilors have a say on a range of infrastructure and major planning projects, while driving and overseeing the delivery of key water supply challenges. . New biodiversity initiatives across the district. The shared service will also enhance its web services and online guidance, extend its support to parish councils on planning matters, and improve its community engagement efforts, including the further development of its award-winning youth engagement programme. Continue.
The council also plans to use a private sector housing stock survey next year, due to be completed in the summer, to ensure all private rental properties are up to standard.
Council Leader, Cllr Bridget Smithcommented: 'South Cambridgeshire District Council is recognized nationally for being innovative and ground-breaking when it comes to finding ways to best serve our residents in the most cost-effective way possible. I'm proud of what we're delivering to our residents, whether it's fantastic new sports facilities in Northstowe, newer, more modern and energy efficient council homes or innovative support in the cost of living crisis. We're very proud. Once again, we have exciting ambitions for next year. At the forefront of our plans is making it even more convenient and convenient for residents to interact with us. It's about being efficient, and as a result we'll do our best to support them too. Of course, we're also looking at ways to further support local businesses, both large and small.”
Councils only keep around 7.6% of the council tax they collect, with the rest going to other organizations that provide key services to the public.
With inflation remaining at around double the Bank of England's 2% target, the average Band D It was agreed to increase council tax on housing by £5 a year, or 3.1%. This rise will take South Cambridgeshire District Council's Band D average housing charge to £170.31 a year. This is an increase of around 10p per week. This increase continues to keep the council in the bottom 25% of taxing district councils in the country.
Cllr John Williams, Chief Cabinet Secretary for Resources, South Cambridgeshire District Council; “We are a financially sound council, as revealed in the recent independent Corporate Peer Challenge. We have a proven track record of strategy. But times remain tough for everyone, and councils are no exception as they grapple with ever-increasing costs. Only a fraction of the council tax we collect is kept. It is important to remember that most of it will be passed on to other authorities. We have an ambitious transformation program to make the most of every pound we receive.”
In other areas, authorities have separate housing revenue accounts to maintain, rent and build their own council housing. This is an enclosed accountant with its own budget plan and goals. Some highlights include:
- Delivering 75 new rental homes and shared ownership to the council, the council has approximately 5,600 rental homes.
- More than £1 million will be spent on improving the insulation and heating of existing council homes.
- More than £500,000 will be spent on services to prevent homelessness.
To keep council housing stock high and build more council housing, council rents need to rise by 7.7%. The city council cannot subsidize housing from city tax revenue.
Colonel John Batchelor, Chief Cabinet Secretary for Housing, South Cambridgeshire District Council; He further added: “We take great pride in our housing services, whether it’s the modern, energy-efficient new council homes we continue to deliver across the borough, our focus on homelessness prevention or our focus on housing carbon emissions. Our overriding goal is to provide quality, sustainable housing that people want to live in, at an affordable price.”
