Budget for investment and recovery agreed

A budget for recovery has been agreed by Norfolk County Council to support communities, the economy and the environment.

A £439 million net revenue budget, a £102 million boost for roads and infrastructure and a 3.99 per cent Council Tax rise have been agreed, at today's full council meeting.

County council leader Councillor Andrew

Proctor said: “This budget not only protects the vital services that we deliver and people value but also sets us on the path to recovery.

“This budget sets out to deliver a better future for Norfolk, to see our residents our communities and businesses all begin to flourish again.”

Cabinet member for finance, Councillor Andrew Jamieson, highlighted the Covid and other cost pressures facing the council and said: “We are protecting vital services, investing to tackle flooding, and making as much provision as possible for potential shocks from Covid - all without needing to propose the full five per cent Council Tax increase.

“Looking to the future as we emerge from the pandemic, cabinet will continue to advocate strongly for Norfolk and press Government for our fair share of funding and to bring forward long needed reforms.”

Today’s decision means the council will:

• Raise general Council Tax by the Government’s guideline figure – 1.99 per cent – and raise the adult social care precept by two per cent in 2021/22 and one per cent the following year. This would raise the county council’s element of Council Tax by 3.99 per cent, increasing the share of band D bills by £56.43 to £1,472.94 for 2021-22
• Invest £45.7m to meet cost and other pressures in services, including £28.2m in adult social care, £7m in children’s services and £10.5m in community and environmental services
• Set aside £18.8m for Covid-19 costs in 2021-22
• Make savings of £41.2m, including a net £20.4m of new proposals
• Invest £102m in the capital programme, taking the total infrastructure programme to £537.66m. New items include £11.5m for supported housing for young adults, £4m for children’s residential homes and investment in the Long Stratton bypass and new libraries
• Invest £2m in new funding to respond to flooding, including an additional £350,000 in revenue budget provision, £235,000 in highways spending to reduce road flooding risks and £1.5m for the creation of a new flood reserve to fund urgent works, repairs and to enable recommendations from flood investigation reports
• Increase by £4,000 each councillor’s Local Member Fund, taking the total to £10,000 to be made available to local parishes and communities to fund environmental projects
• Provide £3m for improvements to greenways, footpaths and the national and Norfolk Trails network in the county

View the budget papers.

You can see a recording later this week via YouTube.