Money and resources and being ploughed into recycling, parks and gardens, enforcement, seafront, a new grant scheme and all with keeping the council tax increase to a rise of just 2.5% as promised.
Eastbourne Borough Council Cabinet Spokesperson for Finance and E-government, Councillor Chris Williams says, “Achieving this has required an exceptional effort by council officers. They started with a budget gap of just under £1 million and due to a shortfall in government funding had to find an additional £265,000. To achieve this and deliver over £300,000 of growth is outstanding! We now have to ask them to do it all again, next year, to ensure that we continue to provide value for money for the residents of Eastbourne.”
During the last 12 months changes have continued to be put in place to make the Council even more efficient, and this has provided savings to fund other projects.
Over £300,000 has been found to improve services to residents, including well over £100,000 in the five areas identified through public consultation as being the highest priority:
- £25,000 to employ a new Enforcement Officer
- £38,000 to increase awareness and provide recycling banks for cardboard and plastic
- £50,000 for maintenance in the town’s parks and gardens
- £10,000 for repainting the seafront railings
- £21,000 for one off support for local community projects
The Council has even had to absorb a £265,000 shortfall in Government grant next year when compared with the extra costs of providing free concessionary bus travel from 1st April. It has done all of this without cutting services but by achieving over £500,000 in efficiency savings; well above the 2.5% level set by Government.
