West Oxfordshire District Council asks residents for feedback on how to prioritise its spending over the coming years
West Oxfordshire District Council has today launched a consultation as it looks to sensibly manage the impact of increased costs and reduced Government funding while also delivering on the priorities of the district.
Councillor Alaric Smith, Executive Member for Finance, said; “Our district council is dealing with the national financial challenge facing all of local government as a result of inflation and cuts to government funding over the past ten years.
“We are having to plan year by year due to a lack of long term funding commitments from the Government and there is the expectation of more funding cuts for district councils like West Oxfordshire to come in the next few years.
“While there is a challenge, we believe that with careful financial management we can minimise the impact of those cuts, keep delivering good local services that residents expect, and also invest in our local area to tackle local issues.
“However, limited resources means that choices must be made, and we are asking for residents' feedback on how they think we should prioritise those resources over the coming years as we look to plan our finances for the future.
“As part of our plans we will keep working with our local partners like the county council and also through other regional partnerships to combine resources to make a bigger difference for our communities.
“We are also continually working on improving the services you receive and also looking at how we can be more efficient so we make the best use of taxpayers money.”
The consultation is aimed to help inform its budget plans for the 2024/25 financial year and beyond. The survey will ask residents about where they would like the council to prioritise its spending over the coming years across the wide range of services it delivers for local residents. Only 10% of the council tax collected is spent by the District Council, with the rest being passed to the County Council, Parish Councils, and Police and Fire services.
Residents can take part in the consultation online by visiting www.westoxon.gov.uk/budget or they can get a physical copy of the survey from the Council office in Welch Way in Witney. The survey will be open from 13th November to 18th December.
Contact Information
West Oxfordshire District Council Communications Team
Notes to editors
- The district council only receives around 10% of a council tax bill, with the rest going to the county council, fire service, police and parish councils. With that money the council delivers over 50 services including waste collections, planning services, help for homeless people, leisure centres and many others.
- The Council’s Executive will be considering the draft budget at their meeting on 13 December with the final budget being considered by Full Council on 28 February 2024
- The Council expects to receive the Government financial settlement, which will provide clarity of local government funding for 24/25, in December, just two months before budgets have to be approved.