22 February: Elmbridge 2024/25 budget approved
Elmbridge’s 2024/25 budget reinforces commitment to supporting residents, while maintaining financial resilience.
- The budget prioritises residents through quality service delivery and a robust Vision for a sustainable and thriving Elmbridge.
- Presented against a backdrop of rising costs and increasing demand on services, it makes prudent decisions to maintain financial resilience.
- Residents can be assured that their council and community partners are here to support those most in need.
Council Leaders are often asked what keeps them up at night. While budget constraints have always featured in the answer, in 2024 it is safe to say that the council’s budget and the increasing demands on that budget is the only answer.
According to a recent local government survey, half of council Leaders in England are not confident they will have enough funding to fulfil their legal duties in 2024/25. This includes the delivery of statutory services, although fortunately this is not the situation at Elmbridge.
More than ever councils around the country are being asked to do more with less. With rising costs, the 2024–25 local government finance settlement has its limitations, but the future is also challenging. Strategic financial planning for councils is already stretched when each year government funding provides an annual sum, with no guarantee of consistency year on year, plus potential changes to our funding means we may again find ourselves reliant on council tax for funding in the future.
Vision 2030 – our pathway to a sustainable and thriving Elmbridge
From helping to address homelessness and the increasing costs of living, to providing housing support, ensuring new homes are built for the community, collecting waste, delivering leisure facilities to maintaining parks and green spaces, Elmbridge Borough Council plays a significant role the lives of our residents. However, we are committed to ensuring we have a strategic pathway in place and the financial resilience to ensure Elmbridge is a great place to live and work.
In presenting a positive 2024/2025 budget report for Elmbridge, I am proud that through prudent financial management, robust local investments and a strategic Vision, we have a budget that not only delivers valued services but that prioritises residents through community investment, supports those most in need, progresses key strategic projects, ring fences the funding needed for our net zero ambitions and that protects our financial reserves.
Our 2030 Vision has set us on a path to a sustainable and thriving Elmbridge, driven by the power of our community. Astute financial planning and budgeting supports that Vision allowing us to achieve great things for the Elmbridge community:
- We have launched a package of community initiatives on climate change including the Green Business Boost which supports local businesses with becoming more sustainable, as well as implementing a Green Fleet Strategy to decarbonise council owned vehicles.
- We have installed 43 electric vehicle chargers across the borough.
- £450K has been provided in support of local community groups and charities.
- Our draft Local Plan has been submitted to the Planning Inspector, creating a pathway to a sustainable and thriving Elmbridge.
- We have aided Afghan and Ukrainian nationals who have fled conflict in their countries and sought shelter in Elmbridge.
- Working with our partners at the Environment Agency and Surrey County Council, we are leading the way in Surrey with a ‘Respect the Water: Drowning Prevention Plan’ to reduce the number of water incidents in the borough through more throw lines, free swimming lessons for 12-18yr non-swimmers and subsidising lifeguard courses.
- We have increased the temporary accommodation options in Elmbridge, meaning less reliance on out of borough accommodation.
- Cobham has become a Business Improvement District (BID) (joining Walton-on-Thames), showing how we work with our high streets to develop new ideas and sustainable sources of funding.
A budget focussed on service and community
To establish the 2024/25 budget, we are acutely aware of the savings and prioritisation we need to make to retain our financial stability. Our aim is always to put the community first and always to ask ourselves, can we provide services in a better way? Can we collaborate with community partners to support residents? The best interests of our residents are always top of mind.
To achieve this budget, increasing Elmbridge’s portion of Council Tax has been necessary and the increase is below inflation. The 2.99% increase is as low as we can have it while maintaining service quality and supporting residents. For band D properties in the borough this means a 61p increase each month.
Through our car parks we have the opportunity to support the residents and businesses in the borough both economically and socially. While we are increasing charges in our car parks, from April 2024 we are introducing parking discounts focussed on those who need it most:
- A discounted car parking permit scheme for people on lower income and key workers who work in Elmbridge, acknowledges the importance of their contribution to our community and helps local businesses to recruit and retain staff. If parking in one of our town centre car parks, this discount could save eligible residents over £1,200 per year.
- Discounted car parking permit scheme for small businesses which will save the business owner over £1,200 per year if parking in one of our town centre car parks.
- Discounted parking permits for residents have been extended to more car parks and prices are frozen for 2024/25. For several years we been supporting residents who do not have off-street parking and live near our car parks with discounted car parking permits. This scheme is especially popular with those residents living in flats above our high streets, and we have also added more car parks to this scheme.
Addressing homelessness in Elmbridge
It is imperative that we continue to work to prevent homelessness in Elmbridge. We are proposing that the additional funding of £205,000 announced by Government last week, will be used to address the borough’s homelessness pressures and help manage the demand for temporary accommodation.
Our focus as always will be on preventing homelessness and the funding will be directed into three main areas.
- We will enhance our Rental Support Scheme with the aim of helping more households at risk of homelessness into the private rental sector.
- We will also invest further into our homelessness prevention fund to help deliver timely interventions to stop households from becoming homeless in the first place.
- Finally, we will provide support to voluntary sector partners to bolster efforts to tackle single homelessness and reduce rough sleeping.
What will this 2024/2025 budget achieve for Elmbridge?
While we will continue to support our most vulnerable residents through funding, working with local community group and charities, as well providing advice on housing, benefits and wellbeing, we will also ensure a sustainable and thriving Elmbridge, driven by the power of our community, including:
- In support of our thriving and sustainable ambitions, we will continue to engage with the community to shape our towns and villages, reimagining public spaces as the heart of every community.
- We will work in partnership with local partners to maximise volunteering across the borough, while ensuring our approach to community services meets local needs and is financially sustainable.
- Working with our partners, we will support the delivery of sustainable travel options to meet the needs of our community.
- We will create the best environment for wildlife and biodiversity to thrive in our open spaces, delivering a new countryside strategy to set out the management of the countryside estate.
- A Weybridge Business Improvement District feasibility assessment will take place, in support of a thriving high street.
- The Elmbridge Design Code will be implemented to reflect local character and design preferences, providing a framework for creating high-quality design in the borough.
At the Annual Public Meeting at the Civic Centre on 5 March, we look forward to expanding on these community achievements, as well as setting out our shared priorities for the year ahead with residents and community partners.
Councillor Bruce McDonald
Leader, Elmbridge Borough Council