Council launches budget simulator

Newcastle City Council  is not due to publish its draft medium-term financial plan (MTFP) until next Friday (Nov 12) – but is launching its online tool now to give residents a head-start in setting out their own spending priorities.

When the council does publish its MTFP, it will set out proposals to save £12m from services next year and its approach for years two and three – which come on top of the £335m it has had to save from 2010 to the end of 2021.

Residents who use the online tool will be given the choice to raise Council Tax and apply the Adult Social Care Precept – or not – and decide where savings can be made on council services. To access the simulator click here https://www.letstalkbudget.org.uk/

Cllr Nick Forbes, Leader of the Council, said: “We have had to make colossal cuts over the last 11 years. By the end of the current financial year they will have topped £335m. Sadly, there are more painful decisions to come to set next year’s budget because of the limited settlement provided by central government.

“It’s getting harder and harder to make savings as services are already cut back to beyond the bone.

“The Government assumes when allocating funding that all councils will be putting up Council Tax by up to 2% and apply the Adult Social Care Precept to Council Tax bills to fund adult social care. This, in effect, ties our hands.

“We don’t want to make any cuts, but we have to make them to balance the budget, and that’s why we are using our online budget tool this year so we can see what residents think.

“I would urge as many as possible to give it a try.

“Many don’t manage to complete it because it is so difficult to do – but it’s important that residents at least get the chance to try and balance the budget so they can understand the difficult decisions we need to make as their elected representatives on their behalf.”

Consultation on the budget proposals will open when they are published on Friday, 12 November, and will run until Sunday, January 2 2022. People also have until this time to submit their own council budget using the People’s Budget tool.

Details of other ways the public can have their say will be published alongside the draft MTFP.

All feedback from the People’s Budget will be included in the council’s analysis of the budget consultation and presented to Cabinet on 21 February 2022 along with any changes to the budget proposals.

The MTFP is then referred to City Council for debate and approval on 2nd March 2022.