Why does the county council have to save money?Lorna Baxter Chief Finance Officer

The £50m budget squeeze

• Reduced government funding• Growing demand for care• New responsibilities e.g.

concessionary bus passes• Inflation• Council tax is effectively

capped

How the council is funded now

52%

25%

12%

11%Council Tax

Central government grants

Business rates

Income from fees and charges

Funding is going down…..

2010/11 2015/16 2019/20

Government fundingLocal income

£700m

£600m

£500m

£400m

£300m

£200m

£100m

At the same time demand is going up.An ageing population

And more children at risk from abuse and neglect• There are 569 children on child protection

plans – up 71% since 2011• The council has 515 children in its care – up

20% since 2011• To meet growing demand, we increased the

budget by £7.4million this year

2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18

£88m to be saved by 2017/18

£204m saved since 2010/11

Savings made or already planned

£170m

£204m

£247m£268m

£292m

£127m

£90m

£35m

Now we need to find another

£50m

Could we increase council tax?• Council tax up by 1.99% for

last three years• Government requires

referendum for 2% +• Referendum cost –

up to £800k

… or keep all our business rates?• Council collects business rates and gives

most to government• Chancellor said local government as a

whole will keep full amount but no new money overall

• No details yet but estimate worth only a few million to Oxfordshire

Setting a balanced budget• The council must set a

balanced budget by law• Must balance income

and spending• We have to make savings

to balance our budget

Why are we consulting you?Councillor Ian HudspethLeader of Oxfordshire County Council

£50mon top of £292m already saved or planned

Tackling national budget deficit means difficult decisions

Our own house in order• Outsourced HR and

finance• Joint working eg fire

control• Cut staff by a third • Selling properties,

ending leases

Safety net for vulnerable people

The big society in action

• Libraries kept open by volunteers

• Youth services carried without council funding

• Can we do the same for children’s centres?

What next?

• Listening before taking decisions• Consider your views in Talking Oxfordshire• Budget proposals on 26 January 2016• Balanced budget on 16 February 2016• No service change without full consultation

www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/budget

Should we hold a referendum?Councillor Lynda AtkinsMember of the Conservative and Independent administration

Impact of raising Council Tax• We have to save an estimated £50m • We could save £18.5m without direct

impact on services• Increasing Council Tax by 10% would raise

enough to cover the remaining £31.5m• A 10% increase in Band D would add an

extra £123.25 or 34p per day

Adult Social Care ServicesServices for adults who cannot look after themselves, and those who cannot afford to pay for their own care. Savings options include:• Stopping funding the seven council Health and

Wellbeing centres, and one run by the Leonard Cheshire Trust.

• Reducing support to homelessness services through Housing Related Support.

• Replacing intermediate care beds with home based intermediate care in the community.

Corporate MeasuresWe can make savings which do not directly impact council services. They include: • Adjustments for lower than predicted pay awards • better than predicted returns on investments• the ending of the national insurance rebate on the

state pension• successful contract negotiations reducing the cost of

insurance.

Corporate ServicesSupport functions including finance, HR, legal, policy and communications. Savings options include:• Reviewing senior management across the

council. • Reduced learning and development budgets

for staff training. • Reduced financial support to managers.

Environment & Economy Services include: highways, transport planning, waste disposal, strategic planning, and countryside access. Savings options include:

• Reducing highways patching work. • Stopping all funding for subsidised buses.• Reducing highways surveys and other work.

Fire and Rescue and Trading Standards

Fire and rescue stations, emergency planning teams, and protecting vulnerable consumers. Savings options include:• Reviewing Trading Standards enforcement, which

could lead to use of volunteers.• Reducing the number of operational fire station

managers across the county.• Reducing the number of operational group

managers in Fire & Rescue Service.

Libraries and Cultural Services43 Oxfordshire libraries, the mobile library service, and the home library service. There are two savings options:• Keeping all 43 libraries but reducing the library

service book fund, closing all mobile libraries and reviewing library management and staffing.

• Stopping funding from 2018/19 to Pegasus Theatre, Oxfordshire Youth Arts Project and Oxfordshire Visual Arts Design Agency.

Children, Education and Families School admissions and special educational needs, and children at risk of abuse and neglect. Savings include: • Making savings in early intervention hubs/children’s

centres, in addition to agreed savings• Creating a new trading arm within the council for

schools, education and learning services• Reviewing services for disabled children and

families, including residential short-break services.

Council Tax Rise

What next?

• Listening before taking decisions• Consider your views in Talking Oxfordshire• Budget proposals on 26 January 2016• Balanced budget on 16 February 2016• No service change without full consultation

www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/budget