Council tax contributions for Dorset Council will increase by just under 4% to help fund the rising cost of adult social care and children’s services, protecting the most vulnerable people in society.The increase will also protect so called ‘discretionary’ services which are services a council can choose to provide but does not have to, such as country parks, weed clearing and school crossing patrols. Dorset councillors are keen to avoid any reductions in services for residents.
Why do social care services need more funding? Growing demand…
Social care provides essential care and assistance for children and young people at risk of harm, people with disabilities and older people who need extra support.
We are legally required to provide social care, and these services are often expensive to provide. Well over half of our total budget is spent on adults’ and children’s social care.
Demand for both adults’ and children’s care has been rising rapidly over recent years and this growth is forecast to continue into the foreseeable future. As our population ages, people are living longer with increasingly complex health conditions. We’re also caring for and supporting more children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
Why can’t the council fund social care without increasing council tax?
Since 2010, central government grants to councils have been cut by nearly 60%. We no longer receive any Revenue Support Grant from central Government. Instead, the Government expects us to raise the funding we need through council tax. This is why 2% of the increase in council tax is what is known as a ‘social care precept’ – in other words, central Government is encouraging councils to increase council tax specifically in order to fund the growing cost of social care.
As you can see from this chart showing our sources of funding, Dorset Council is very dependent on council tax for income. Unlike some other councils, we get relatively low income from business rates and other sources.
Efficiencies, not cuts
Since the reorganisation of local government and the creation of Dorset Council on 1 April 2019, we have already achieved cost reductions of around £17m. Here are some examples:
- A reduction in the number of senior officer roles, and removal of duplication across support services like finance, HR and IT
- A reduction in the number of councillors from 204 to 82
- Cost reductions have been made on insurance, audit fees, banking and other activities where the council only has to pay for one organisation rather than six.
Next year, we plan to make further multi-million pound savings by:
- reducing the number of properties and land the council owns
- reducing travel and transport costs
- procuring services and products for the council more efficiently
- and changing the way we provide services so it’s a better experience for residents but delivered at lower cost.
All savings are reinvested into essential services for residents such as social care, highways and waste collection.
Our councillors are also lobbying Government for fairer funding for Dorset, particularly for special educational needs and disabilities and social care.
Protecting services
Our aim is to get the council working more efficiently, reducing the cost of overheads, and ensuring more of the council’s resources go into services for residents.
Cllr Spencer Flower, Leader of Dorset Council, said: “We would of course prefer not to raise council tax. However, we are left with no choice due to a steady decline over recent years in the overall funding from central government and the rising cost of adult social care and children’s services. The alternative would be to cut discretionary services such as country parks, weed clearing and school crossing patrols which neither I nor my colleagues wish to do.
“As an advocate for Dorset, over recent months I have lobbied Government for fairer funding – particularly for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and social care. As a result, we did secure a much needed additional £10m funding from Government in the autumn spending review. I will continue to make the case for Dorset with Government throughout the coming year.
“We have a statutory obligation to deliver many of our services. And looking after our most vulnerable residents is very important to us. And it is also important that we achieve a balanced budget through efficiency, not cuts.”
Happy with the increase to support social needs but what is the £35.6 other services – breakdown please
Hi
The breakdown is listed on the image above,
Best
Alex
In 1975, the rates on our property were £365, the council tax is now more than 10 times that, which significantly exceeds inflation.We get even less amenities, and awful roads, so should the council be increasing tax by way more than inflation, or perhaps taking courses to learn to run an enterprise economically, as most of us have done throughout our working lives? How are we supposed to pay these swingeing costs out of our pensions?[ We are 78&80]
I have reason to believe that some dysfunctional “ families” ( so called even if only one parent and one child) are jumping on the Special Educational Needs/Mental Health “bandwagon” in order to claim Benefits. Teenage children, for example, pick and choose whether to attend a therapy session and lack of discipline is causing a generation – or two – to grow up chaotically.
Also, I am told that Weymouth College is poorly staffed a lot of the time, with the result that students lose interest, their education suffers and they are all too often “at a loose end.“ The devil makes work for idle hands, as we know.
A lot of money could be saved, it seems to me, if there was stricter selection of those in real need of Benefits.
If both Mother AND Father worked together at raising the children they produce, far less money would need to be spent by the State in doing so.
Most importantly, It would transform family life and communities, if decent council housing was available to rent, as it used to be before Mrs. Thatcher changed the system. Stability in childhood is hugely important and I don’t mean that Moving is detrimental.
Hi Beryl. Thanks for taking the time to share your view.
Best
Alex
Having read the reasons for increasing council tax in Dorset I would like to know why we pay such a high council tax in Stalbridge, which is classed as a town. We are forgotten as we are ‘the smallest town in Dorset’ when the money is allocated, we don’t have any of the facilities of other towns and yet still pay high council tax.
Disgusted.
Hi Angela,
All parts of Dorset underwent harmonisation of council tax last April. You can read about this here: https://news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/2019/02/20/first-budget-agreed-dorset-council/
Everyone in Dorset has access to the same services from Dorset council. Many facilities in towns and villages are provided by the town and parish councils.
Best
Alex
Are you Angela shirley by any chance
Are you from hyde heath originally?
I trust some of the funding for children’s services will be allocated to Opportunity Playgroup. This is an essential facility for children with disabilities and to lose it would be an unforgivable act for the future of these children to reach their full potential whatever disability they have.
Hi Terry. Thanks for your comment. Now that the budget has been signed off it will be down to the directors and heads of service to decide how the money is spent. I suggest you speak to your local councillor to highlight the work that the Opportunity Playgroup do to ensure that this is fed back to the service.
Best wishes
Alex
I find it extraordinary that over 50% of the budget is being spent on care at the expense of all the other essential services. I am a 74 year old man, lucky enough to be fit and mobile but when I see some of those of a similar age, or younger, who appear to have a disability, I despair at our society which has become a dependant rather than an independent one.
Hi Anthony. Yes, it is a high proportion that is going on care. But our councillors have made it very clear that vulnerable people must be put at the centre of our priorities. There are many essential services that we have a statutory obligation to fulfil and we will continue to do so, but we wanted to explain and be clear about our finances and budgets, and the pressures we are feeling from social care services.
We do have officers dedicated to working with our more vulnerable residents to enable them to be more self-sufficient and independent at home. We have a range of technology that we are offering to them – we will be showcasing more of this in the next couple of weeks, so stay tuned 🙂
Best
Alex
I think you are doing really well.
As I am eighty years old, fit and well and I love my life in Weymouth.
I am hoping you will be here for me when I reach one hundred!
So , obviously, I am very happy to pay the extra 4% on the Community Charge.
In fact I would support an increase in Income Tax for the whole nation which is the fairest way to boost The Exchequer (but I know that political parties don’t have the courage to suggest it.)
Carry on the good work
Yours sincerely
Mo
Hi, I am concerned about the councils proposal to sell off land that it owns.
Would it not be better to build council houses on some of this land?
These houses would provide the much needed affordable housing to rent and create an income for the council.
We need properly affordable housing to rent with more security of tenure than can be provided by the private sector.
As a community we need to go back to having more council houses that cannot be sold out of the council.
I understand that this maybe difficult with short term costs, but will create huge long term benefits that will ultimately reduce government costs.
Please can this be considered. Thankyou
Hi Amritam, and thank you for your comments. As far as I am aware, the council is undergoing an asset review at the moment. This will be taking in to account parcels of land that the council owns, property that we rent out, car parks etc. As you can imagine, there is a lot to go through here after the coming together of the previous district and borough councils so no decisions have yet been made on how we might progress with this, but a lot of background work is underway.
The council is also very aware of the lack of affordable housing around the county and we have every intention of maximising our assets to develop affordable, sustainable housing solutions. You can read more about this here: https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/your-council/about-your-council/dorset-council-plan/suitable-housing.aspx
Best wishes
Alex