Central Beds Council’s monthly column with deputy leader Councillor Maurice Jones: Cutting costs and improving efficiency

Budgets and finance may not sound very interesting, but we know how important value for money is to you. And as hard-working families are increasingly feeling the pinch of rising inflation and fixed incomes, we understand that any additional financial pressures must be avoided.

With this in mind, we have agreed for a second successive year that there will be no increase in council tax charged for Central Bedfordshire Council services.

It hasn’t been easy, as we’ve had to put in place plans to deliver more than £11million of savings for next year.

However, when the new council was elected last summer, we said we wanted to be better connected to local people and would be putting more energy into seeking and responding to your views.

That’s why we surveyed everyone about budget priorities and we were delighted that thousands of residents responded.

You told us you wanted us to keep council tax levels the same and that we should make savings from the back office at no extra cost to the taxpayer. You told us that we need to invest to improve roads and transport, while services helping vulnerable people should be protected.

All of this has been important in shaping the budget which will see us streamline management and administration, cut consultants and reduce the number of buildings the council works at, whilst investing more in the services that matter to you such as road maintenance, social care for older people, and services for people with disabilities.

I’m sure that many customers would like us to cut our costs further and we’re determined to keep our focus on efficiency and service in the years ahead. But, judging by your feedback, we’ve made a good start.