South Cambridgeshire District Council’s plans for the year ahead include even more useful support for residents, including the council’s first use of artificial intelligence (AI) in public spaces.
Ministers will meet today (Tuesday 6 February) to discuss the Budget and Business Plan for the next 12 months, against the backdrop of a growing population, rising costs due to inflation and a national homelessness crisis. He said a budget has been set.
Ministers fully support both documents, and all members will now discuss them at a full council meeting on February 27th. The plan would maintain the council as one of the lowest taxing authorities in the country, with an annual increase of £5 for the average Band D home, which would be around 3% below. This corresponds to an increase in inflation.
A budget of £519,000 has been proposed as part of the council’s ongoing digital transformation efforts. This aims to make services more accessible in a way that is beneficial to residents. If agreed at a full council meeting, funding will be provided for the software and staffing costs needed to help customers get the support they need.
This includes the council's first public use of AI in providing direct support to residents. Customers who use the website or call the council outside normal business hours will have their questions answered by AI and can also send further information via text message. This use of AI is expected to be in full swing in councils by the end of next financial year. Meanwhile, an ongoing program to update the council's income and benefits functions will help improve customer service in this important area through more convenient access to support.
Elsewhere, council investment in community facilities for the new town of Northstowe will continue after plans were approved for a phase 1 community center in December last year. The additional funding allocated to this project by the council has enabled the design of an ultra-sustainable building that meets the changing demands of the community as it grows. The center has been designed on net-zero principles, with heating provided by geothermal heat pumps, a striking roof shape, a landmark design at the town entrance, and solar panel capacity. Maximizes both.
The quality of the design has attracted significant interest from companies wishing to build it, and the council plans to award the contract in early March, with the aim of handing over the completed building by spring 2026. This follows the recent official opening of Northstowe's Sports Pavilion. Modern, high quality sports pitches are also provided by the council.
Greater Cambridge Shared Waste, a partnership between South Cambridgeshire District and Cambridge City Council, will continue its service allowing residents to deposit small household appliances into pink banks. Brightly colored banks are suitable for collecting most small items with plugs and batteries, such as phones, toys, kettles, etc. More than 50 tonnes of small electrical goods have been collected for recycling since the trial began two years ago.
Greater Cambridge Shared Waste is also continuing its efforts to decarbonise its garbage trucks. Three electric trucks are already collecting recyclables and waste from residents, and a fourth is expected to start operating in the coming months. The decarbonization plan also includes the continued use of hydrotreated vegetable oil on some ships.
With a national focus on the Cambridge region, maintaining investment and support for the Greater Cambridge Shared Plan will help the Council engage with and counter the Government's recently established 'Cambridge Delivery Group'. This means that it can continuously deploy its own specialist “super squad” to Our planning services are also shared with Cambridge City Council, where we are already helping councilors have a say on a range of infrastructure and major planning projects, while driving and overseeing the delivery of key water supply challenges. . New biodiversity initiatives across the district. The shared service will also enhance its web services and online guidance, extend its support to parish councils on planning matters, and improve its community engagement efforts, including the further development of its award-winning youth engagement programme. Continue.
Also in its plans for next year, the council plans to use a private sector housing stock survey, due to be completed in the summer, to identify private rental properties that may not meet standards. .
Councilor Bridget Smith commented: “We’re incredibly proud of what we’re delivering to our residents, whether it’s fantastic new sports facilities in Northstowe, newer, more modern and energy-efficient council homes or innovative support at a cost-effective pace. – Living Crisis. Once again, we have exciting ambitions for the year ahead. At the forefront of our plans are ways to make it even more convenient and efficient for residents to interact with us. As a result, we will do our best to support them too. Of course, we are also looking at ways to further support local businesses, both large and small, and will be announcing all of this later this month. I look forward to discussing the plans with all councilors.”
Councils only keep around 7.6% of the council tax they collect, with the rest going to other organizations that provide key services to the public.
With price increases remaining at around double the Bank of England's 2% target, the average Band D home will need to be It is proposed that council tax be increased by £5 a year, or 3.1%. The proposed rise will take South Cambridgeshire District Council's average Band D housing charge to £170.31 a year. This is an increase of around 10p per week. The increase will keep the council in the bottom 25% of taxing district councils in the country.
Cllr John Williams, South Cambridgeshire District Council’s Chief Cabinet Member for Resources, said: We have a track record of balanced financial strategies that combine prudent financial management with sound investments. But things remain tough for everyone, and Congress is no exception as it grapples with ever-increasing costs. It's important to remember that we only keep a tiny fraction of the council tax we collect. Most of it is passed on to other authorities. We have an ambitious transformation program to make the most of every pound we receive. ”
In other areas, authorities have separate housing revenue accounts to maintain, rent and build their own council housing. This is an enclosed accountant with its own budget plan and goals. Some highlights include:
- Delivering 75 new rental homes and shared ownership to the council, the council has approximately 5,600 rental homes.
- More than £1 million is proposed to be spent on improving the insulation and heating of existing council homes.
- More than £500,000 will be spent on services to prevent homelessness.
To keep council housing stock at a high level and build more council housing, council rents need to rise by 7.7%. The city council cannot subsidize housing from city tax revenue.
Cllr John Batchelor, South Cambridgeshire District Council’s lead cabinet member for housing, added: Either prevent homelessness or continue retrofit programs that reduce the carbon footprint of housing. Our overriding goal is to provide affordable, high-quality, sustainable housing that people want to live in. ”
The budget and business plan proposals will be further discussed at an all-hands meeting on Tuesday, February 27th.
