Protecting frontline services and the vulnerable

This week, the Council published the Budget proposals for 2020 -2021, which will be discussed at next week's Executive meeting and then the next Full Council meeting.

We will be proposing a balanced budget despite facing the need for additional savings at the same time as we are seeing an increase in demand for services.

We have sought to keep increases in council tax as low as possible, with an increase of 1.85% in Bedford Borough's core council tax.

The proposals will also include applying the government's Adult Social Care precept of 2%. We believe the government should provide more funding directly to help tackle the social care crisis, but unfortunately they insist these costs are passed on to council taxpayers.

These increases mean an increase of less than £5 a month for an average Band D property.

In addition there will be increases from Bedfordshire Police, Bedfordshire Fire & Rescue and local parish and town councils where they levy a precept.

These increases are necessary to ensure we can continue protecting frontline services and supporting the most vulnerable in Bedford Borough.

We will also be investing additional money in road and pavement resurfacing as well as other investment in improving our infrastructure and providing emergency accommodation for those facing homelessness.

Despite the ongoing financial challenge this budget protects frontline services and, provides the money needed to care for the elderly and vulnerable and keeps council tax down.

We continue to bid for various money for other projects to help support our town centres and other significant projects. Whilst town centres are suffering across the country, in Bedford Borough we continue to do as much as we can to support our local shops; leisure, heritage and cultural facilities and encourage more people to use both Bedford and Kempston town centres as well as their village shops.