Medium Term Financial Strategy Oadby Residents’ Forum 2 nd March 2011

Leicestershire 644,800 residents, 800 square miles County Council Highest rating for use of resources (and value for money) Low spend per head of population on low funding Responsibilities for roads and transport, education and learning, social care and health, libraries and museums, environmental services, waste disposal Context

Leicestershire County Population: 644,800 Charnwood Borough Population: 165,000 Melton Borough Population: 48,900 Oadby & Wigston Borough Population: 58,500 Harborough District Population: 83,400 Blaby District Population: 93,600 Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Population: 104,800 NW Leicestershire District Population: 90,600 Population: ONS population estimates for mid-2009, Oct 2010

Budget informed by extensive consultation with local people – workshops and questionnaire (Leicestershire Matters and online) Questionnaire 6 week consultation ended 6 th December Over 5,300 responses Three main questions – Service reductions – Council tax – Any other comments Consultation

‘To what extent do you think the County Council should consider making reductions in the services listed below?’ Response options: – Reduce: A great deal – Reduce: To some extent – Reduce: Not very much – Reduce: Not at all – Don’t know Consultation

Where respondents thought LCC should consider making reductions ‘a great deal’ or ‘to some extent’: Street lighting 75% Grass cutting 72% Museums, Record Office and Arts 63% Country parks and rights of way 60% Library Services 56% School transport 51% Public transport subsidies 49% Consultation

Where respondents thought LCC should consider making reductions ‘not very much’: Helping older & disabled (moderate need)36% Providing social care transport 34% Maintaining roads and pathways 33% Youth service including youth workers 33% Waste management contracts 31% Consultation

Where respondents thought budgets should not be reduced at all: Winter maintenance, e.g. gritting 66% Helping older & disabled (substantial & critical need) 54% Children’s social care and child protection 53% Prevention/early intervention for older & disabled 51% Recycling inc. local tips 48% Working with Police to reduce crime and ASB 48% Consultation

Q2 Council Tax Over the next three years the County Council is not planning to increase council tax. The council tax bill for county services is currently £1,063 for a band D property. Would you be prepared to pay more than a 0% council tax increase to have less service reductions. Consultation

Agreed by the County Council on 23 rd February Over four years budget (excluding schools) reduces from £350m to £330m – this reflects – Reduced funding from Government – Council Tax frozen – Growth £46m – to meet demographic and other service pressures – Savings of £79m –Efficiency £57m –Service reductions £22m (£19m of which agreed in 10/11) MTFS - Overview

Homecare/ day care/ residential care/ direct payments - £29m by 2014/15 Children’s Social Care - £2m Special educational needs and adult social care transport - £1.1m by 2014/15 Waste disposal - 20%+ growth largely due to landfill tax Big Society - £850,000 each year from 2011/12 MTFS – Some Key Growth Areas

Efficiencies and service reductions – many agreed last year Change to adult social care eligibility criteria - £6.5m by 2014/15 Libraries, Heritage and Arts Review - £4.2m by 2014/15 Youth Service - £1.78m Highways maintenance - £3.25m by 2014/15 but offset by growth of £1.5m in 2011/12 Home to School transport - £500,000 each year from 2014/15 Local Transport Service - £1m each year from 2012/13 Police Community Support Officers – up to £500,000 each year from 2013/14 Review of parks and forestry - £235,000 by 2014/15 MTFS – Some Key Savings

MTFS - Council Tax

Extremely difficult financial position with large savings required over the next few years Broadly in line with expectations / planning assumptions Summary