A plan which sets out what the County Council should focus on in the future, a five-year capital investment programme, and the day-to-day budget for the coming year could be agreed by West Sussex County Councillors next week.
At a meeting on Friday 12 February the County Council will decide whether to approve the Reset Plan, which sets out how money should be spent and performance measured.
The plan sets out the key priority outcomes for the council over the next four years, focusing on learning from the response to Covid-19 to ensure the council provides the best support it can for residents both now and in the future.
An extra £12m investment in highways, and £10m to address the challenges of climate change are two of the investments which are proposed in the revised five-year Capital Programme.
An increase in council tax of 1.99% is proposed - plus an additional 3% for adult social care – making a total increase of 4.99%. This is an average increase of £1.38 per week compared to last year’s bill.
Further details about the Reset Plan and the budget can be found here:
Jeremy Hunt, West Sussex County Council Cabinet Member for Finance, said:
This has been an extremely difficult budget to prepare with exceptional demand on our services due to the global pandemic and on-going uncertainty around future funding from government. Careful judgement has been taken to provide the funding we need for the vital day-to-day services we offer, while still identifying opportunities to invest in the future prosperity of our county. At every step we have looked for efficiencies to ensure we work effectively to provide as much support for our residents as possible.
The Full Council meeting is being held virtually starting at 10.30am on Friday 12 February. The meeting can be followed online here (add webcast link).
For further information about the council’s financial position visit: www.westsussex.gov.uk/budget
