Christmas Eve deadline to have a say on county council’s £23m of 'savings' in draft budget

County residents face a 1.99 per cent rise in council tax coupled with a two per cent increase on a social care precept as part of Northamptonshire County Council’s draft budget proposals for 2020/21.

In what could be the council’s last ever budget – it is set to be replaced by two new unitary authorities in 2021 – residents only have a fortnight left to share their views in a consultation on the fiscal plans.

The overall budget for the county council stands at £447.71 million. Of the £23.2 million of cuts to funding, £12.9 million will come from adult social services, with £4 million each from children’s services and the place services (such as transport and technology), £1.4 million from corporate services and £1 million from LGSS.

Some of the £12.9 million cuts in adult social services include the potential closure of the Evelyn Wright care home in Daventry.

But the budget also gives staff at the council a long overdue two per cent pay rise and also starts to replenish the council’s depleted reserves after it had effectively declared itself bankrupt twice in 2018 by reducing spending to minimum statutory levels.

The consultation with members of the public runs until Christmas Eve and can be accessed on the county council’s consultation website here.