Budget cuts in Nottingham are not going to be as bad as previous years, the city council’s deputy leader says.
A consultation over planned cuts will also be more understandable, held earlier and not over the Christmas period.
The changes come after the Labour-led authority was criticised over the way it let residents know what it was planning to cut, and how it let people contribute to how services were changing.
Government commissioners were appointed in February 2024 to oversee a critical improvement journey towards better financial sustainability, after the authority declared itself effectively bankrupt months prior in November 2023.
Some councillors and the commissioners have before said there has been a lack of transparency stemming from “abstract” language in consultations, as well as documents being presented to members with little time for proper scrutiny.
Cllr Ethan Radford (Lab), the deputy leader and executive member for finance, said the proposals are not going to be as bad as previous years due to an improved financial position, and he emphasised the language used has been changed to allow for better public understanding.
During a Corporate Scrutiny Committee meeting on Wednesday (September 24) Cllr Radford said: “The key to anything in the proposals is the wording. We have changed how some sentences are put together. We’ve looked at that carefully.
“There is actually very little we need to go out to consultation on, but in the interest of transparency we will be sharing that information regardless.
“We are doing it a little differently this year because the financial pressures are no longer as great as they were. It is less a case of what to take out and more a case of what can we do differently, and if we have some additional to put in, where should that additional [money] go based on the priorities of local people.
“We genuinely want to have the feedback from members of the public. Again not just on what we no longer fund, but what we want to fund instead. We want residents to see the whole picture.”
Cllr Radford said he further welcomed all councillors highlighting groups that may have been overlooked in the past.
The budget consultation period this year will run much sooner and for a longer period of time, beginning October 21 and running until December 2.
Cllr Sam Gardiner (Lab) added: “I think this is much welcomed, the budget cycle is much earlier. We welcome the public consultation this year is going to be six weeks, rather than four weeks, which is an improvement compared to last year.
“We’ve seen further improvements of the consultation as it is being done outside the Christmas and New Year period. It is also welcomed to see the inclusion of the trade unions. We welcome you going above and beyond the statutory requirements set out in the consultation.
“It is a demonstration and evidence of how this council continues to improve.”
According to council documents the authority is currently anticipating to underspend by around £3m in the current financial year, which ends March 31, 2026
This means the council is expecting to have £3m left over once all expenditure in its day-to-day services is accounted for.
However, reports say the underspend has only been achieved due to the continued reliance on an emergency measure known as Exceptional Financial Support.
Stuart Fair, the corporate director for finance, said the council was “in a very good place” compared to similar authorities.
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