Broxtowe Council agrees council tax rise - but says it is a budget to protect services

Councillors have approved the budget, with funding for community and safety initiatives also agreed.

Budget highlights include:

No compulsory redundancies or cuts to front-line services;

Investment in excess of £24 million for building new homes which will enable people to live well;

Below-inflation increase in housing rents of 7 per cent and no increase in garage rents, allowing more money to be invested back into housing stock;

Below-inflation increase in Broxtowe’s element of Council Tax of 2.94 per cent, which for a band D property is an additional £5.21 for the year;

Economic development budgets include the recently successful Kimberley Levelling-Up Fund bid of £16m;

Community activities to mark the King’s coronation in 2023;

Continued funding to support the climate change and green futures programme to tackle climate change and reduce our carbon emissions to be carbon neutral by 2027;

Continued support for people with disabilities through the disabled facilities grant scheme.

Coun Milan Radulovic, council leader and Labour member for Eastwood Hill Top, said: “There is no doubt we live in tough economic times with inflationary and interest pressures having a profound impact on us all. Residents, tenants and businesses need our support now more than ever and that is why it is paramount we protect our services.

“This has been one of the most important factors in our decision making when approving the budget for the financial year ahead.

“As in previous years, in order to help tackle the shortage of affordable housing, we are continuing investing in a significant new housebuilding programme. The council also remains ambitious in its plans to invest in the local area to ensure sustainable growth and opportunities for the future.

“I am particularly pleased our town centre regeneration investment plans are progressing thanks to external funding including the recently announced successful Kimberley Levelling-up Fund bid of £16m.

“The budget will also enable us to continue our climate change and green futures programme with a new climate change officer post to progress our work in this important area. This will help us capitalise on our existing initiatives in this area like Green Rewards, electric vehicle charging points and energy efficiency grants from government.

Thank you to everyone who took part in our recent budget consultation to help us better understand what matters most to you and how we can incorporate this into our plans.”

Coun Greg Marshall, council portfolio holder for resources and personnel policy, said: “This is the fourth year we have been able to deliver a budget which does not cut services or jobs, so we are able to keep on providing for our communities.

“We will be continuing our partnership work with the voluntary and community sector to support residents and communities during the cost of living crisis.”

Anyone who is struggling can find useful information about the support that might be available at broxtowe.gov.uk/costofliving