Budget consultation
Every March, the council sets a budget for the next financial year giving details on how much money we will spend on each of the services we provide.
We have taken a long-term and proactive approach to financial planning in difficult circumstances. We have saved over £205million since 2010, enabling us to protect frontline services as far as possible. However, like many other councils up and down the country, the ongoing challenges presented by COVID-19, limited funding and increases in the demand for and cost of services, mean the next few years will present further challenges.
Looking forward, we face an anticipated budget gap of over £55million to 2025/26, including a £5million budget gap for the next financial year (2022/23).
Despite these challenges we remain ambitious for Barnet and the people who live and work here. We must continue to prioritise our resources effectively and develop plans to deliver the best outcomes for residents within these financial constraints.
To balance our budget for next year (2022/23) we have developed a set of proposals to save money or generate income that we would like your views on. We are keen to give everyone the opportunity to have their say on our proposals. In particular, we are seeking your views on:
- the overall budget, and our savings and income generation proposals for 2022/23
- our proposal to increase General Council Tax
- our proposal to apply an Adult Social Care Precept on Council Tax to help pay for adult social care.
The consultation closes on Tuesday 1 February. To take part, click here.
The findings from the consultation will be reported to Policy and Resources Committee on Tuesday 9 February 2022 and will be considered at Full Council on Monday 1 March 2022, before final approval of the 2022/23 budget.