Wealden District Council is 17% more efficient in providing services than it was nine years ago
The cost of providing Council services to each individual living in the District now works out at £110.21 per person. In 2010/11 it cost £133.81 per person.
Wealden’s current cost of providing services per person compares to an average district council’s service cost of £124.82 per person. This is according to figures provided by the Rural Services Network. Over the same period, retail prices have increased by 29.4%.
In discussing the Medium Term Financial Strategy, Council Leader Bob Standley said that the Council should continue to seek further savings of £300,000 by 2020/21. This was due to a number of economic uncertainties that faced the Council.
“We have made significant savings over the past few years. The cost of providing services figures is a measure of how we have altered the way the Council operates. We have taken out inefficiencies.”
Among the uncertainties faced by the Council was that long-term Government spending plans for local authorities would not be known until 2020.
Cabinet agreed that future financial planning should include the provision for a £5 increase in the Band D council tax for the coming financial year. There will be corresponding increases for the other council tax bands. It is the equivalent of a 2.6% increase.
