Consultation on draft Council budget

Published: Tue 10th December, 2024

  • The image shows a calculator icon and the words draft budget 2025/26

Views are invited on Charnwood Borough Council’s draft budget for 2025/26.

The Council’s lead member for finance, Cllr Ian Ashcroft says the draft budget shows the authority continues to focus on careful financial management and ensuring value for money.

The borough council is responsible for a range of services such as maintaining hundreds of acres of open spaces, planning, council housing and bin collections as well as operating three leisure centres, Loughborough Town Hall and Charnwood Museum.

However, most of the council tax that residents pay, around 90 per cent, goes to other organisations such as the county council, police and fire services.

Cllr Ashcroft said: “We have worked hard with this draft budget to ensure the borough council can deliver excellent services to local communities and achieve the best value for money.

“Local government finance continues to be challenging, but we are committed to getting the most from every pound we spend for the benefit of the borough.”

The draft budget proposes increasing Charnwood’s share of Council tax by either £5 a year or three per cent. In 24/25, the Charnwood element of the average Band D council tax bill was just under £145 for the year.

There are further details in the report to Cabinet which meets on 12 December.

To view the report and to have a say in the consultation, visit www.charnwood.gov.uk/budget

The consultation closes at 11.59pm on Sunday, 12 January 2025.

A paper copy of the report is available at the Council offices and to have a say in writing, you can also write to Charnwood Borough Council Draft Budget Consultation 2025-26, Charnwood Borough Council, Southfield Road, Loughborough, LE11 2TX.

The Council is responsible for a wide range of services including; collecting recycling and refuse from around 80,000 homes in the borough; supporting homeless people; managing open spaces including the Outwoods; emptying dog bins, litter bins, street cleaning; food safety inspections; licensing of pubs and clubs and taxis; operating Loughborough Markets, town centre events and the annual four-day Loughborough Fair; running Loughborough Town Hall; operating three leisure centres; running Charnwood Museum with the county council; handling planning applications and strategic planning; and operating a 24/7 CCTV system.