This consultation is now closed. Thank you to everyone who took part. We will publish the findings, and our final budget, on our website in due course: Newcastle City Council plan and budget. If you have questions about this you can contact us at letstalk@newcastle.gov.uk (or FREEPOST Letstalk).
Over the next year, our priority is to deliver a balanced budget that protects residents and businesses as much as possible from the impact of the recession. Like all councils, we face some difficult decisions. Rising energy and food prices are taking their toll on local authorities in the same way they do on household budgets, and next year the council we need to save £23.2m.
We will not increase charges across the board, as we want to protect people as much as possible. Instead, we propose to make savings by remodelling our services, especially in adult and children’s social care. We have published our proposals and want to know what you think. You can do this by reading the proposals, then giving us your views on them by completing a short survey (see below), or by emailing us at: letstalk@newcastle.gov.uk. We have also produced a PDF copy of our questions, which can be printed off, completed, and returned to us at: FREEPOST Let’s Talk if this is easier for you or someone you know.
We are required by law both to set a balanced budget, and to consult people about what we propose to do. We want to know what you think of our proposals and encourage you to have your say - your opinions count, so please tell us what you think.
Over the next year, our priority is to deliver a balanced budget that protects residents and businesses as much as possible from the impact of the recession. Like all councils, we face some difficult decisions. Rising energy and food prices are taking their toll on local authorities in the same way they do on household budgets, and next year the council we need to save £23.2m.
We will not increase charges across the board, as we want to protect people as much as possible. Instead, we propose to make savings by remodelling our services, especially in adult and children’s social care. We have published our proposals and want to know what you think. You can do this by reading the proposals, then giving us your views on them by completing a short survey (see below), or by emailing us at: letstalk@newcastle.gov.uk. We have also produced a PDF copy of our questions, which can be printed off, completed, and returned to us at: FREEPOST Let’s Talk if this is easier for you or someone you know.
We are required by law both to set a balanced budget, and to consult people about what we propose to do. We want to know what you think of our proposals and encourage you to have your say - your opinions count, so please tell us what you think.
What we would like you to do
You can find out more about our budget proposals as a whole by watching the video of Cllr Frew below, and by reading our budget documents (see the list below). When you've done this, you can take part in our short survey to give your views on our budget proposals as a whole - what impact you think they will have on the Newcastle area, and any suggestions you have for how we can save money or generate income: Your views on our budget as a whole
We also have three proposals - listed below as 'Integrated Impact Assessments' - about changes to aspects of adult social care, children's social care, and Council Tax and the adult social care precept. We would like to hear any comments you have to make specifically about these proposals - click on the links beneath the 'Integrated Impact Assessments' heading to give your views.
We also have three proposals - listed below as 'Integrated Impact Assessments' - about changes to aspects of adult social care, children's social care, and Council Tax and the adult social care precept. We would like to hear any comments you have to make specifically about these proposals - click on the links beneath the 'Integrated Impact Assessments' heading to give your views.
Here are all our budget documents which set out our proposals:
Our medium-term financial plan (MTFP) for April 2023 to March 2026: Delivering for our communities
Our detailed budget for 2023 to 2024
Budget 2023 to 2024 summary
Appendix 1 - Revenue and capital plan 2023 to 2024
Appendix 2 - Summary of savings proposals 2023 to 2024
Appendix 3 - Consultation and engagement plan
Our website for our budget proposals is here: Budget 2023 - Delivering for our communities
Our detailed budget for 2023 to 2024
Budget 2023 to 2024 summary
Appendix 1 - Revenue and capital plan 2023 to 2024
Appendix 2 - Summary of savings proposals 2023 to 2024
Appendix 3 - Consultation and engagement plan
Our website for our budget proposals is here: Budget 2023 - Delivering for our communities
Integrated Impact Assessments
We have undertaken Integrated Impact Assessments (IIAs) for proposals that will affect services in 2023- 2024. What this means is that we have assessed each proposal in terms of what impact it will have on different groups of people, on local businesses and local areas, and on our environment. These proposals are as follows:
Adult Social Care - Being well in communities (phase 2 and 3)
Children's Services - Keeping families safely together
Council Tax and adult social care precept
If you have any questions about this or you need the consultation materials in different formats, such as large print, you can email us at letstalk@newcastle.gov.uk, or write to us at: FREEPOST Let’s Talk
Adult Social Care - Being well in communities (phase 2 and 3)
Children's Services - Keeping families safely together
Council Tax and adult social care precept
If you have any questions about this or you need the consultation materials in different formats, such as large print, you can email us at letstalk@newcastle.gov.uk, or write to us at: FREEPOST Let’s Talk
People's Budget - our budget simulator
The People's Budget is our online budget simulator, where residents can try out setting their own spending priorities for the city, looking at how we might make savings, generate income, and what to do about whether or not to raise Council Tax and the Adult Social Care Precept. To try it for yourself, click here: People's Budget 2023-2024
Our plan for the future - the next three years
Over the next three years the council needs to save £63.2m. Next year we need to save £23.2m, £20.6m in 2024-25 and £19.5m in 2025-26. Although we are focusing on making next year’s savings in line with our legal requirement to set a balanced budget, we have begun thinking about the second and third year. This is called our Medium-Term Financial Plan (MTFP), taking us up to 2026, and helps us responsibly manage the council’s finances. (You can read the full MTFP at the link here: MTFP.)
For next year, we have decided to protect people by:
For next year, we have decided to protect people by:
- Freezing charges for local services and the cost of school meals
- Paying a living wage to our staff and commissioned services which helps the local economy
- Increase support for those on low incomes through our Council Tax reduction scheme which gives back about a quarter of the money we take in Council Tax
The council does not have all the answers to the challenges that it faces, which is why we are keen to hear your views.
What happens next
We will consult on our draft budget proposals from 22 November 2022 until 11 January 2023. In February 2023, Cabinet will be asked to recommend the post-consultation budget to City Council. City Council will debate and vote on the budget at their meeting in March 2023. We will publish the final budget proposals, including a report on the consultation findings, on our website: Newcastle City Council. Thank you for giving us your views.
What happens next
We will consult on our draft budget proposals from 22 November 2022 until 11 January 2023. In February 2023, Cabinet will be asked to recommend the post-consultation budget to City Council. City Council will debate and vote on the budget at their meeting in March 2023. We will publish the final budget proposals, including a report on the consultation findings, on our website: Newcastle City Council. Thank you for giving us your views.
