Green waste collections will nearly double in price, street lights will be dimmed and staffed library hours reduced under South Gloucestershire Council plans to plug a £29.3million shortfall. The authority has revealed dozens of proposed measures, including cuts to frontline services and redundancies, to balance its 2023/24 budget.
A “perfect storm” of soaring costs, rocketing inflation and increased demand for services caused by the cost-of-living crisis have caused the dire financial situation just nine months after the council thought it had balanced its books for the next four years. Among the raft of planned savings are premiums on council tax bills for second and empty homes, fewer guided escorts for home-to-school transport, scrapping taxi marshals in night-time economy hotspots and higher fees and charges across the board.
A report to cabinet, which will consider the proposals on Monday, December 5, ahead of six weeks of public consultation, said: “This council has a historically strong track record of absorbing demand and inflationary growth through driving ongoing efficiencies. However, the current scale of challenge remains too great for this approach to be maintained and it has been necessary to identify service level reductions.
