Have your say on Norfolk savings proposals

As it seeks to agree a balanced budget for 2025/26, Norfolk County Council is asking for your views on a number of proposals to save money or raise revenue in the next financial year. 

As part of the council's work to find £44.722m of savings, public consultations are now open on three of the proposals under consideration: 

• Raising Council Tax 
• Reducing Street Light usage 
• Review of our Housing Related Support Services 

Full detail of these proposals, as well as information on how residents can have their say, can be found online. 

To receive a hard copy of the consultation document, or request it in a different format, residents can call 0344 800 8020 or Text Relay on 18001 0344 800 8020, or email haveyoursay@norfolk.gov.uk. 

The consultation is now open and will close on Monday 16 December 2024. 

Cllr Andrew Jamieson, Norfolk County Council's Cabinet Member for Finance, said: "No one should be under any illusion about just how serious the financial challenges faced by local councils have become: demand for services go up, as do costs, and long-term funding from the government remains unclear. 

"Many of the savings that we are making are because of continuing innovation within our services: getting more for less. However, some of the savings we are proposing are not savings we want to make, but are forced on us by significant increases in demand and demographic changes in a climate of continued government underfunding. But if we are to make these tough decisions we have to do so in a way that has the minimum impact on our residents, and that's why it's so important people let us know what they think of these proposals and how they will affect them. That knowledge will help us plan our savings in a way that protects the most vulnerable and allows our residents to continue living their lives with as little impact as possible." 

The council needs to find £44.722m of savings to meet its legal obligation to run a balanced budget. While discussions of where to make these savings are continuing, proposals to save £33.552m have been identified. 

The council is consulting on proposals to increase Council Tax, which makes up more than a quarter of the council's gross income. The proposals under consideration are an increase in Norfolk County Council's share of council tax, including the Adult Social Care precept, of either 3% up to 5%, or more than 5%. 

This would see an average Band D property's Council Tax rise being respectively £50, up to £84 or more than £84 a year. 

Proposals on streetlighting involve switching off 2% of streetlights across the county to save money and reduce carbon emissions. Norfolk County Council has identified 132 locations where the council plans to switch off some streetlights. 

It is expected that this could save up to £200,000 per year and cut carbon emissions annually by 76 tonnes, reducing energy consumption and reducing light pollution. 

Finally, the council is considering a review of its Housing Related Support Services, including homelessness prevention and crisis accommodation. These services are provided in partnership with district councils and other agencies, with the County Council funding £4.7m a year. Norfolk's seven district, borough and city authorities have duties to prevent and relieve homelessness for homeless people who are eligible.  

We are proposing to reduce and stop some spending on housing related support by £2m and work with our local authority partners to target our remaining £2.7m investment in services that continue to support people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. This is so the money can be spent on the services that we have to provide by law i.e. our statutory services. 

These three proposals are part of the savings that Norfolk County Council needs to make to balance its budget for 2025/26. The Council faces difficult decisions to deliver on its ambitions for the people of Norfolk against a difficult economic climate and more than a decade of reduced funding. 

So far, £33.552 million of saving proposals identified for 2025-26 make a significant contribution towards the council's £44.722 million savings target: 

• Adult Social Services, £16.520 million 
• Children's Services, £7.000 million 
• Infrastructure, £6.082 million 
• Communities and Environment, £0.613million 
• Fire and Rescue, £0.065 million 
• Strategy and Transformation, £1.670 million 
• Chief Executive's Directorate, £0.102 million 
• Finance, £1.5 million 

The full list of 94 proposals currently being considered is available online.