Amid dramatic cuts to the funding they receive from government, councils continue to face increasing demand for statutory services (the services they are legally required to provide). According to recent UNISON research, councils across England, Scotland and Wales have a collective hole in their finances amounting to more than £4 billion for the coming financial year. Dumfries and Galloway Council has already saved £130 million over past 15 years. Now, the council needs to save a further £30 million over the next three years. In Dumfries and Galloway, the budget consultation starts on Thursday (31 October). Although they have a really good track record of effective consultation and engagement, this will be a tough one. There will be consultation events in all twelve council wards, where citizens can have their say in person, there will be an online budget simulator where you can explore the areas where you want to save money, opportunities to complete surveys and discuss your views with officers. No-one came into public service to cut budgets and services, but this is now the reality of the recent past and into the near future. Dumfries and Galloway Council (full council committee) will consider the consultation results on 12 December, before further consideration and setting an annual budget at committee in late-February. It will be a hugely significant and difficult decision for elected members in Dumfries and Galloway – and all other councils across the UK. www.dumgal.gov.uk
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The future-facing, evidence based, independent public policy think tank for Northern Ireland.
A draft Budget for 2025-26 may be published today if the Northern Ireland Executive are able to agree it, as Jayne McCormack writes here. There would then be consultation and scrutiny before the Assembly votes on the final Budget in the spring. It's an important milestone as there hasn't been proper consultation on an agreed draft Budget since January 2021. It should also be the last single year budget, as the intention is for the UK Spending Review in spring 2025 to give a multi-year allocation for 2026-27 onwards. A few things to watch out for: 1. Does the Budget reflect the nine priorities in the draft Programme for Government, or is it just a 'divide-up' between depts? 2. Is detail provided about what each Dept will do with its funding? In previous years, only info on total funding has been given, rather than what programmes or projects it will be spent on. 3. What provision is there for public sector pay rises? In recent years, finding funding for pay uplifts has become a big problem in-year. 4. Has there been full (or any?) consideration of how increased revenue raising might play a part in increasing the funding available for public services here? Although it's unpopular to say it, households here pay much lower local taxes and charges than in the rest of UK. 5. The funding available for 2025-26 includes a big injection of new funding from the UK Budget in October (extra £1.5 billion). This needs to be used strategically to improve public services and invest for the future. Such a step-up in funding won't happen again and it can't just disappear plugging gaps. https://lnkd.in/dvyeeSNH
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Local government could receive a 5% real-terms funding increase next year, following chancellor Rachel Reeves’ budget, according to analysis from the Institute For Fiscal Studies. However, questions remain over whether this will be enough to keep councils from going “over the edge”, with funding cuts anticipated beyond 2026. Bee Boileau, David Phillips #budget #councils #localgov #counciltax #funding #resources #s114 #fundingcuts https://lnkd.in/eTNJwsVM
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Coalition Submits 2025 Pre-budget Recommendation to the Standing Committee on Finance We are happy to share the Coalition’s Pre-budget Recommendation for 2025, developed in consultation with the Coalition membership. We will be working over the Fall months to share these recommendations in Ottawa and in the Ridings with government officials. Recommendation: 1. That the Government of Canada permanently allocate at least 1% of its overall spending towards arts, culture, and heritage. To achieve this for the 2025-26 fiscal year, the Government should increase its allocations by $270 million, via: a. An increase of $140 million to the Canada Council for the Arts; and b. An increase of $130 million to the Department of Canadian Heritage. Read the full submission here: https://lnkd.in/g58hZd3y If you are not yet a member of the Coalition and want to participate in the in-depth policy conversations and help build advocacy momentum for the sector, your voice is needed! Join us here: https://lnkd.in/gztdBnfK
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Derbyshire residents, businesses and partner organisations are being asked to submit their views in the Service’s annual budget consultation for 2025/26. Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service (DFRS) is starting to come under increased financial pressure with spiralling costs of inflation, energy and interest rates. To ensure DFRS can continue to deliver its services to the communities of Derbyshire, whilst maintaining a sound financial position, the Service needs to make savings to bridge the £1.7 million predicted gap in its budget. The consultation survey which includes background financial/budget funding information, and the Services proposed efficiency savings for 2025/26, asks for views on several areas including, whether DFRS provides good value for money, Our Budget and 2025/26 savings proposals and council tax precept. The consultation is open from 19 December 2024 until midnight on the 2 February 2025. Responses will inform DFRSs detailed budget plans for the next financial year (2025/26). You can access the consultation and supporting information here: https://ow.ly/Ktqq50Uu9Af
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Council leader Mark Flynn today thanked citizens who took part in this year’s Budget Consultation. Over 3,500 individuals and organisations shared their views on spending priorities, Council Tax and a range of specific savings options. Councillor Flynn said: "This was a very detailed survey, and I’m grateful that so many people have taken the time to respond either through the survey or by sending in letters and other submissions. “It shows how engaged people are in local democracy, and also their understanding of the challenging financial landscape that we face.” It comes as a report outlines the financial implications of the Local Government Finance Settlement for 2025/26. The report, approved by Councillors on the City Governance Committee this week, reveals that the Council faces a projected budget deficit of £25.5million for the year ahead. Read more: https://bit.ly/409kTNh
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California's revised budget proposal reduces the overall budget to $285 billion for 2024-2025, with notable cuts impacting housing and economic development programs. At RSG, we specialize in navigating revised budgets and ensuring programs align with the latest fiscal policies and funding adjustments. Reach out to learn more about how these changes could impact you. #CaliforniaBudget #EconomicDevelopment #Housing https://lnkd.in/gAKxHP74
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Policy Forum is convening a workshop to review the draft of the Citizen’s Budget (CB) booklet, which the Ministry of Finance and Planning (MoFP) recently developed. The workshop, supported by the International Budget Partnership's Collaborating for Open Budgets (COAB) initiative, is a critical aspect in ensuring that the Citizen’s Budget remains a powerful tool for enhancing public understanding of government policies and financial plans. For years, Policy Forum has been championing the production of the Citizen's Budget as part of its commitment to raising citizen awareness, accessibility to budgetary information, and fostering transparency in the use of public money. The Citizen’s Budget booklet is a simplified summary of the government's policies and plans as reflected in the national budget. It plays a vital role in making complex budgetary information accessible to the public, thereby empowering citizens to participate more fully in the implementation of development plans. The booklet underscores the impact of government budgetary decisions on the lives of Tanzanians, emphasizing the importance of public engagement in the budgeting process. This collaboration between Policy Forum and the MoFP highlights the ongoing efforts to bridge the gap between the government and the citizens, ensuring that the national budget serves the interests of all Tanzanians.
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🔴 Have you completed our Budget survey yet? Don't miss your chance. Closing this Friday 29 November. 💬 Tell us your priorities for council services and have your say in our Budget Survey 2025/26 Your views will help shape the budget for the next three financial years. 💡Find out how the Council's Budget is currently spent, what we've done so far to save money, and share your thoughts with us 🔗Link in comments
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Progress on this - as picked up in yesterday's Health Service Journal, HMT has revealed that it will in fact update the Consolidated Budget Guidance to prevent departments from switching from capital to revenue allocations. Or rather - to make this tougher, by requiring HMT permission. This is good news. The fiscal rules fall some way short - contra HMT evidence to the pay review bodies - of removing the perverse incentive on government to prioritise revenue over capital. That's because, unlike the pre-2008 'Golden Rule', the new commitment to 'only borrow to invest' only bites in the future, not in the present; for the moment, the future means not until 2029. That's why additional restraints are so important. What will be interesting to see now is whether this form of restraint, absent stronger fiscal rules, is sufficient. HMT ministers will soon come under pressure from departments to allow exceptional cases, which they'll have plenty of discretion to do. Let's wait and see whether capital budgets are honoured - this will be a real test of the government's rhetoric about rebuilding for the long term.
We are planning on putting a longer think piece on the Budget out early next week - but one immediate reflection comes from Darren Jones, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury's, media round this morning. The Budget assumed only a 1.3% per year real funding increase for the next (post 26) spending review period. Jones lent on the 2% annual public sector productivity target as a reason why the Government would not need to raise taxes to fund increases above this level. Getting there will necessitate good public-private partnerships, on which delivery of public services is heavily reliant. One area that is really clear is in the state of the public estate, where the (by historical standards) relatively generous 25/26 settlements for areas such as Justice, the NHS and Local Government are unlikely to touch the sides in terms of the need to upgrade the buildings and other capital. In all these areas, a poorly functioning estate is now a significant drag on the performance of public services. The reason the public estate has ended up in this state is because departments have raided maintenance budgets to fund day-to-day spend. The fact that the the new fiscal rules do not remove the in-year incentive for cash-strapped departments to raid their CapEx budgets to fill current spending holes is therefore arguably a key shortcoming - and a marked contrast to the 2000s rules, which did exercise some constraint on this. Arguably, unless a solution is found swiftly which involves private capital or some kind of wider partnership which effectively locks in spending, then the situation will get worse.
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Government Efficiency and Budget Prioritisation In a bid to ensure key public services receive the funding they need, the Chancellor has announced a crackdown on government "waste." This initiative will see departments asked to identify 5% "efficiency savings" as part of a comprehensive budget review set to conclude next June. Rachel Reeves emphasised the importance of these savings, not as cuts, but as a means to prioritise spending on the British people's top concerns. The Treasury is directing departments to focus on policies that align with the "plan for change," which includes ambitious goals like building more homes, clearing hospital backlogs, and preparing children for school. However, this approach has met with scepticism from the Conservatives, who question Labour's ability to enhance public sector efficiency. Despite the challenges, the government remains committed to increasing funding in certain areas such as defence, aiming for a spending hike to 2.5% of national income by spring. Overall, day-to-day government spending is projected to rise by 4.3% this year, though future increases will slow to 2.6% and then 1.3% in subsequent years. As departments navigate these changes, the goal remains clear: to allocate resources effectively, ensuring the priorities of the British people are met while maintaining fiscal responsibility. Please follow us to received daily City updates to keep informed on relevant hot topics.
Development Officer at Kirkconnel & Kelloholm Development Trust
5moSadly this has become a depressingly regular occurrence. Everyone wants public services, and in my experience most people would be, in general, happy to pay for them, but the UK government - of whatever shade - is convinced of the opposite. None are prepared to state the obvious: we get what we pay for.