Agenda item

The Deputy Chief Executive and Section 151 Officer presented the Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) Tranche 1 report (following consultation) 2025/26 to 2027/28.  In presenting this report, an update in respect of consultation feedback was circulated at the meeting (attached at Appendix 1 to the minutes).

 

Members were reminded that at the Cabinet meeting held on 10^th December 2024 the Tranche 1 MTFP was presented.  This report had then been considered prior to consultation with the public and other stakeholders.  The authority had subsequently consulted on the Tranche 1 budget proposals.  This budget consultation opened on 5th December 2024.  As part of the consultation process, an email invitation was sent to members of the Bromsgrove Community Panel to take part in the consultation.  The survey was also promoted on a variety of social media channels.  The survey closed at 12 noon on Thursday 2nd January 2025.  The response rate from the community panel members had been 48 per cent.   There were a total of 278 valid responses received overall.

 

In terms of responses to specific questions, Members were referred to Question 2, which provided a breakdown of the consultation responses by location.  The highest percentage of returns had been received from Aston Fields, Belbroughton and Romsley, and Bromsgrove Centre.  Question 16 provided a breakdown of the age ranges of the people who filled out the questionnaire.  Members were asked to note that the vast majority were aged over 50.

 

The survey had asked respondents to rank the three most important services they felt the Council should invest in.  In the feedback received, these had been:

 

·             Local Economic Development and Employment (47.1 per cent of respondents).

·             Community Safety (44.6 per cent of respondents).

·             Maintenance of the Landscape and Environment (43.8 per cent of respondents)

In questions where respondents were asked to indicate whether they agreed or disagreed with particular suggestions, six of those responses entailed well over 50 per cent agreeing or strongly agreeing.  Only two had responses lower than 50 per cent - these being:

 

·             Do you agree that the Council should invest more in our front-line services to cover increases in fuel? (At a 49.6% approval rate.)

·             Do you support fees and charges (this excludes parking) rising by 4% to keep them in line with inflation and rising staffing costs? (At a 40.2% approval rate.)

The highest approval rating, at 86.2 per cent, was to the question - Do you agree that the Council should invest in economic development in order to support local businesses, start-ups, the town and local centres and to prioritise local skills?

 

Two further questions were asked about what level of increase to Bromsgrove District Council's proportion of Council Tax residents supported.  The answers to this were:

 

·             61.5 per cent agreed or strongly agreed with a 1.99 per cent increase.

·             This dropped to 45.8 per cent for a 2.99 per cent increase.

The survey had also included two free test questions:

 

·       Please let us know your suggestions for investing in the district to increase prosperity and enhance appeal for residents and businesses alike.

o    There were 178 responses to this question.

o    Responses to this question provided many suggestions and comments regarding the District. The top three themes were Bromsgrove Town Centre, supporting businesses and the importance of infrastructure, from roads to public transport. These themes had many cross overs, from the impact of traffic, encouraging a diverse range of businesses into the town and reducing costs to visitors and businesses alike.

o    Suggestions included:

§   Reducing business rates / relief

§   Reducing parking costs

§   Supporting independent retailers

§   Bringing in key major retailers

§   Understanding the offer on the High Street.  Some respondents had suggested that there were too many charity shops, cafes, hair and vaping businesses

§   Utilising empty shops for small businesses, new start-ups, housing and community use

§   Improving the market, in terms of the quality, offer and number of days that it was in operation

§   Making the town vibrant, attractive and distinctive, including by developing attractions and encouraging visitors

§   Improving the appearance and maintenance of the high street

§   Improving public transport

§   Supporting active travel

§   Accessing grants wherever possible

§   Ensuring a District-wide view

o    

·       Please let us know any other comments on the budget or ideas for reducing costs or increasing income to ensure Council services remain sustainable.

o    There were 118 responses to this question.

o    Of the responses to this question, the largest category fell into the theme of efficiency and value for money. Other themes included infrastructure, focusing on those in need, ensuring transparency and accountability, asset utilisation, and the town centre.

o    Suggestions included:

§   Reviewing salaries

§   Ensuring there were the right skills within the Council

§   Outsourcing some functions

§   Exploring alternative methods of delivery (e.g. co-operatives, and partnerships)

§   Reducing use of consultants

§   Reviewing fees and charges

§   Commercial opportunities (e.g. logs, compost or specific services)

§   Turning off lights / utilising smart sensors

§   Reducing events

§   Promoting events better to increase revenue

§   Community use of buildings

§   Energy generation (e.g. solar panels in car parks)

§   Converting buildings into housing (e.g. multi-storey by Asda)

§   Increasing enforcement fines (e.g. fly tipping and littering)

§   Supporting the voluntary sector

§   Reducing business rates / relief

§   Reviewing Council Tax

§   Better coordination around highways and roadworks

 

In considering the feedback, Members were asked to note that there were some responses that had been received which indicated that some members of the public were not sure which services were provided by Bromsgrove District Council as opposed to Worcestershire County Council.

 

The consultation feedback had been considered at a recent meeting of the Finance and Budget Working Group.  During the meeting, Members had noted that there had been a relatively high response rate from residents living in Alvechurch, compared to other areas.  The suggestion was made that this had been due to work undertaken by the local Councillors to raise awareness and it was possible that lessons could be learned from this for other areas in the future.

 

Once the report had been presented, Members discussed the following points in detail:

 

·             The response rate to the consultation, which compared favourably with previous consultation processes in respect of the Council’s budget.

·             The value of increasing the response rate in future to ensure that the feedback was more representative of a wider number of residents living in the District.

·             The potential for the data in response to Question 33 to be provided at a Parish Council level.  Officers undertook to investigate this matter further.

·             The membership of the Bromsgrove Community Panel.  Officers confirmed that this comprised approximately 500 local residents who had opted to be consulted on a regular basis by the Council.

·             The businesses that were leasing shops in Bromsgrove town centre.

·             The changing shopping habits of consumers in the twenty-first century and the need for the local economy to adapt.

·             The potential for more pop-up shops to be introduced in the District.

·             The advice that the Council’s economic development team and the Town Centres Manager provided to local businesses.

Members concluded their discussions by thanking the Financial Services team for their hard work on preparing the MTFP.

 

RECOMMENDED that

 

1)          Members endorse the inputs into the Council’s Medium Term Financial Plan as at the middle of October 2024, and the associated risks and opportunities.

2)          An initial Tranche of savings proposals and pressures, as set out in Sections 3.03 to 3.14, including the fees and charges increases (non-commercial), after consideration of feedback from the consultation exercise which closed on the 2^nd January 2025, is approved at Council.