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Hertfordshire County Council

 

This consultation closed on 1 Feb 2022. 

You can read the survey introduction and background information below, along with the results of the survey

We heard your views about how we should spend your Council Tax over the coming financial year, from April 2022 to March 2023.

This survey accompanied our proposed budget for 2022-23 – we call this our draft Integrated Plan 2022-23.

Key highlights from the proposed budget

Integrated Plan and budget survey results


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detailed report about the survey and engagement is available. You can read the report in full as it appeared on the agenda for the meeting of the Cabinet on 21 February 2022 and by County Council on 22 February 2022

Feedback from this consultation was used to inform the council’s budget decision-making process.

Background

Hertfordshire County Council faces a range of challenges over the coming years:

  • significant population and housing growth
  • our population is ageing and increasingly experiencing long-term complex health problems
  • COVID-19 has brought about some big changes to how we work and provide services.

All of these challenges increase demand on our services and infrastructure. However, we've also delivered significant savings since 2010.

The Council Tax you pay helps to fund the services we provide. To shape services for the future of the county in the next financial year, Hertfordshire County Council is proposing a general Council Tax increase of 1.99% to fund part of this work.

We also have flexibility for a further increase to support adult social care, which helps support adults with physical and mental disabilities, carers and older people. We propose an extra 2% to support adult social care, meaning a total proposed increase to Council Tax of 3.99%.

Highlights in the proposed budget for 2022-23 (Integrated Plan)

A cleaner and greener environment

  • £2m for an Enhanced Highways Maintenance Programme aimed at increasing the routine maintenance of vegetation cut-backs, signs and lines, and drain dig-outs to improve the highways and encourage more walking and cycling.
  • £0.5m increase in funding each year to deliver the Sustainable Hertfordshire Strategy and action plan, including a support fund for Hertfordshire residents and businesses.
  • Nearly £10m has been included for a net zero carbon retrofit strategy across the existing schools’ estate in order to achieve key sustainability / carbon reduction ambitions.
  • £5m has been included for decarbonisation match funding, to drive forward delivery of the Sustainable Hertfordshire strategy and enable the council to seek external funding by providing matched funding where needed.
  • Opening our larger recycling centres 7 days a week, permanently.
  • £35m new investment in waste infrastructure, improving recycling centres and making infrastructure fit for the future.

Healthy and fulfilling lives for our residents

  • £18m investment in care providers, allowing for an increase in the wages of the lowest paid care staff across the Hertfordshire. This should enable wages to rise to a minimum of £10.30 per hour, above the national living wage (with many care workers earning above that level). This reflects the remarkable efforts of these staff throughout the pandemic, and also their critical importance in caring for vulnerable people moving forward, and ensuring the wider care and health systems can operate effectively. The proposed adult social care precept (Council Tax) increase will be used for this purpose.
  • £22m to ensure there is sufficient funding to support increased numbers of older people and adults with disabilities needing support, including responding to the impact of hospital discharge arrangements.
  • £1m investment in domestic abuse support, working with partners to expand the service.
  • Investing in a new model for adult social care, working to strengthen prevention to reduce preventable admissions to hospital and long-term care.
  • £10m to ensure there is sufficient funding to support the increase in numbers and complexity of Children Looked After.
  • £2m investment in Special Education Needs and Disabilities, to manage growth in demand and create a sustainable service with targeted early intervention.
  • £15m of investment in a new accommodation strategy for adults with disabilities, due to go to Cabinet in February 2022, that will set out an ambitious project of redevelopment.

Sustainable, responsible growth in our county

  • Ensuring the council has resources to support delivery of houses and jobs across the county, including for those strategic sites being brought forward.
  • Funding to help move forward Brookfield Riverside and Garden Village developments.

Excellent council services for all

  • Investment in technology, including updating key systems and enhancing cyber security.
  • Investing in the website as more people transact online.

Revenue and capital proposals

The analysis of revenue and capital proposals across service areas is shown below. This table looks at:

  • net revenue budget (the amount of money for providing day to day services, such as social care and disposing of waste)
  • capital proposals (investments in buildings, infrastructure and equipment).

Revenue and capital proposals
 ServiceNet Revenue Budget 2022-23 (£m) Capital Proposals 2022-23 (£m) 
 

Children’s Services:

Education and Early Intervention This includes advice, challenge, and support to schools to raise educational standards and promote the wider well-being of children and young people. This includes responsibility for ensuring that there are sufficient school places; funding of eighty-two children centres and provision of services for young people. It also includes information on childcare; parenting and family support; funding of nursery education for 3–4-year-olds and provision of services for young people.

Safeguarding and Specialist Services helps to safeguard and promote the welfare of vulnerable children and young people by providing services for children with disabilities, child protection, family support and children in residential and foster care.

 205.3

 134.9

Community Protection comprises Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service, Hertfordshire Trading Standards, Emergency Planning and Resilience, working together to ensure a co-ordinated approach to keeping all who live and work in Hertfordshire safe and protected.

 41.2

 11.2

Environment & Infrastructure maintains roads, pavements, streetlights, signs, and verges; disposes of household waste; provides passenger transport information; promotes road safety and protects and enhances the natural and built environment.  It also supports economic development.

 126.6

 144.4

Adult Care Services supports and promotes independence for older people, people with physical and learning disabilities, adults with mental health problems and their carers.  The team provides information and advice, enables people to recover and stay in their own home, and arranges care at home or in a care home if their safety is at risk. 

 400.9

 24.5

Public Health focuses on improving health and wellbeing in Hertfordshire, through stop smoking and healthy weight campaigns, for example.

 49.9

 -

Other services include Registration, Coroners, Libraries and support services and contributions the council has to make to the funding of two organisations - the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority and the Environment Agency for flood defence.

 129.1

 98.6

Total

953.0

413.6

 

Summary of pressures and savings (draft integrated plan)

Summary of pressures and savings (draft integrated plan) (PDF, 429KB)

If you have any issues accessing this document, or you require an alternative format, please email web.team@hertfordshire.gov.uk.

This schedule contains:

  • a complete list of all investments, pressures and savings planned in the revenue budget for the next 4 years
  • new items proposed in this budget round, as well as some items agreed in previous budget rounds that take effect next year.

Pressures (i.e. costs) to the council are shown as positive figures and savings as negative numbers in the document.

 

Consultation results for last year’s budget

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