Worthing Borough Council budget and council tax rise approved

The council’s 2024/25 revenue budget was initially forecast to be a circa-£2.7million overspend, and is now going to see about £1.6million drawn from reserves to balance it, leaving a total underspend of roughly £150,000.

This will leave £242,000 in the general working fund reserves at the end of the budget next year, down from around £6.8million at the start of the 2023/24 budget, to roughly £1.84million at its end this year.

The budget – including a maximum rise in council tax by 2.99 per cent, or £7.74 extra per year for the average band D home – was approved by the full council at its meeting on Tuesday, February 20,

Council tax in Worthing will also be affected by a 4.99 per cent increase agreed by West Sussex County Council and 5.42 per cent increase from Sussex Police, meaning a total increase of £102.37 per year for a band D property.

Worthing Borough Council leader Beccy Cooper (Lab, Marine) said social housing costs, inflation, previous administrations and a lack of government funding were factors in a ‘risky’ budget but that she was ‘assured’ the council budget was ‘sound’.

She said: “The 2024/25 budget has been balanced, with the provision of £200,000 to go back into the reserves. We will seek to further increase our reserves as much as possible from 24/25 onwards.

“Housing is a major budgetary pressure for us, costing £5million in 2023/24, and a reduction of B&B bills and out-of-town placements is good news for both our communities and council.

“We are also awaiting further financial updates on the Environment Bill, which will require us to collect food waste separately from our regular bin collections – but we cannot implement this with the current suggested financial settlement from central government.

“After 14 years of callous, chaotic and clueless Tory government, it should come as no surprise that councils up and down the country are now stretched to breaking point.”

Cabinet member for resources John Turley (Lab, Gaisford) said the council tax increase would mean a £300,000 increase in revenue for the council, but the council was seeing £7million less in its budget compared to 2010 due to reductions in national government funding for councils.

He said: “We are proposing this council tax increase to enable us to maintain services. If we opted for anything less for political reasons, the lost income would be lost forever – meaning services would always be affected going forwards.

“A band-D resident in Worthing will pay £67 less than a resident in Adur for our share of the overall council tax, so, yes, Worthing residents really are getting a good deal.

“For too long now this council has been in a precarious financial position. We inherited a far-from-robust position, we really have to end the groundhog day where every year we’re finding new savings of £1million, £2million, £3million to balance our books.”

Mr Turley said in-year cuts and savings had played a large part in balancing the 2024/25 budget, particularly an ‘operational redesign’ of council officer posts, and that despite ‘no financial wiggle room’ left in the revenue budget the council was on track to reach the targeted £3million in savings.

Leader of the opposition Kevin Jenkins (Con, Goring) said Labour took over from the Conservatives nearly two years ago and that past administrations were not to blame for the current budget problems.

He said: “Numerous district and borough local authorities up and down the country of all political persuasion are dealing with these financial pressures, Worthing is not unique – there is no excuse for Worthing being in the mess it is.

“Council tax is up 2.99 per cent. Car park charges in our multi-storey car parks, that went up 30 per cent last year, up by another seven per cent. Parking season tickets up by seven per cent. Beach hut fees last year up by a whopping 20 per cent, this year raised by another six per cent.

“Yes, the council will get to the end of the year, that is inevitable. The real question hanging over this administration is just how you get there, what other financial mess will you create on the way and what size of bill will you leave for the hard-working taxpayers in Worthing to pick-up?”

Mr Jenkins added a 30 per cent cut to opening hours of the council’s contact centre, to five and half hours a day, would disadvantage older residents and claimed the administration was intentionally keeping 65 council job posts vacant to improve its income in next year’s budget.

The council is expected to see a circa-£1.1million increase in budget shortfall every year to the 2028/29 budget, which it will have to meet in order to avoid effective bankruptcy.