South Norfolk councillors have agreed a robust budget for the coming year

South Norfolk Council Leader, Dan Elmer said:

“Passing this budget will ensure the Council can continue to deliver the high performing services for our residents that improve and enhance their quality of life, support local businesses and protect the environment. I am proud of South Norfolk Council’s record of delivery, these are difficult times for local government, but this council is meeting those challenges head on, making sure we continue to look after the interests of our residents.

"This council continues to deliver remarkable services despite the loss of the rural services delivery grant, the increase in National Insurance costs, and the ever growing strain of providing temporary accommodation to our most vulnerable residents.

"As I have said, times are difficult, but we are still able to put forward a budget that is not just robust but goes further in enabling us to deliver more than 85 services for the people of South Norfolk. And, unlike other Councils, there is no prospect of three weekly bin collections, and there never will be while I am leader.

"We have always been clear about our plans for Council Tax, we don’t make false promises but believe in clear honest pricing. So, as in previous years will we be proposing a £5 rise on a Band D property, an increase that is less than the current rate of inflation.”

At the same meeting the Council also created a new budget of £134,365 for repairs and improvements to playgrounds in the district. This budget came from additional money allocated to the council in the Final Local Government settlement. This money was not reflected in the budget papers, as these were published before the announcement of the extra money.

The Council also voted to increase the amount of money available to the Community Action Fund, a fund that supports larger community projects, by £100,000. This is on top of the increase of the same amount last year and was funded by allocating some of the in-year additional investment income. All South Norfolk members were involved in setting the budget, that will see Council Tax rise by £5 a year to £175. That is a rise of less that 10pence a week.

A motion put forward by Councillor Elmer to promote bio-diversity in South Norfolk was also agreed unanimously.

The motion reaffirmed the Council’s commitment to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2030, using a combination of emission reduction and offsetting, preferably local. The Council will launch an educational program to promote community-level nature recovery and pilot a "Conservation Fund" to support local projects focused on nature restoration, carbon sequestration, and public access.

The Council meeting is available to be viewed on the Council’s Youtube channel.