The Council approved its budget for 2023/24 at a meeting on February 27, 2023.

This webpage gives an overview of the Council's draft budget for 2023/24.

Our services are used by most residents in Charnwood

As a reminder, here’s an overview of the services we provide:

  • Recycling and refuse service
  • Supporting homeless people
  • Planning service including building control, economic regeneration, carbon reduction, strategic planning (Local Plan)
  • Managing open spaces, Queen’s Park, Outwoods, Southfields Park, emptying dog bins, litter bins, street cleaning
  • Environmental health, food safety inspections, fly-tipping, dog fouling, licensing of pubs/clubs, licensing of taxis
  • Managing two cemeteries in Loughborough
  • Operate Loughborough Markets and town centre events,
  • Operate Loughborough Town Hall
  • Operate Charnwood Museum (in conjunction with Leicestershire County Council)
  • Operate three leisure centres in Loughborough, Syston and Mountsorrel
  • Operate a number of car parks
  • Collect Council tax, operate council tax benefits, housing benefits
  • Community safety
  • Support community groups with Neighbourhood Development Officers
  • Operate community grants scheme
  • Organise sporting activity sessions for all ages
  • Operate 24-hour CCTV system with nearly 250 cameras across the borough and a team of operators
  • Operate two business centres – Ark and Oak in Loughborough and Sileby
  • Organise council meetings and support 52 councillors
  • Corporate support in terms of HR, finance, legal, communications, training and property services

Council housing

The general budget does not include council housing. These are funded by tenants who pay rent.

We look after 5,500 properties and a number of sheltered complexes and operate the 24/7 Charnwood Lifeline service.

Most of your council tax goes to other organisations

The image shows a pound coin with a list of how Council Tax is divided in Charnwood.Leicestershire County Council receives 72p in every pound, Leicestershire Police receives 13p, Charnwood Borough Council 7p, Fire Service 4p and then the town or parish council precept (or Loughborough Special Rate) is 4p. These figures are for illustrative purposes only and are based on Band D bills in Charnwood in 22/23

Charnwood Borough Council receives around seven per cent of the average council tax bill. The rest goes to Leicestershire County Council, police, fire service and the Parish precept or Loughborough special rate.

In 2022/23, the Charnwood element of the average Band D council tax bill is £135.69 for the whole year, about seven per cent of the total bill.

People on low incomes can apply for Local Council Tax Support. This gives up to an 85% reduction on council tax bills. For example, a Band A Council Tax bill in Loughborough for 21/22 was £1,291.58 a year. Someone receiving the maximum amount of support under the Local Council Tax Support scheme would pay around £193 a year, or £3.71 a week

In 2020/21, there were over 8,300 claims for Local Council Tax Support in Charnwood, amounting to financial support worth nearly £9 million (the scheme covers the whole council tax bill, not just the Charnwood element).

Some people in extreme financial difficulties can also get further help to reduce their bill further.

Key information for the budget for 2023/24

The Council is planning to spend around £20.3 million on services it provides for 2023/24. This is the amount required to fund our day-to-day services for the year and is after making savings, increasing income and the planned use of some reserves.

Our usual sources of funding are Council Tax, income from business rates, Government grants, and the Loughborough Special Rate which is the equivalent of a parish precept in villages and paid by residents of Loughborough.

The budget includes increasing the Charnwood element of Council tax by 9p a week for the average Band D property in the borough.

The increase will see the annual charge for the Charnwood element of an average Band D property rise by £4.78 (3.52 per cent) from April 1, 2023. It will mean the annual charge (for the Charnwood element of council tax) for an average Band D property rise to £140.47. It will mean Charnwood continues to have one of the lowest council tax charges in the country.

There will also be an increase to the Loughborough Special Rate, the equivalent of a parish precept in villages and paid by residents of the town. It will increase by £1.58 (1.99 per cent) from April 1, 2023. It means the Loughborough Special Rate will increase to £81.11.

Consultation

A consultation was held between December 6 and 18.

Next steps

  • December 2022 – Budget consultation
  • December 15 – Cabinet to consider a report on the draft budget for 2023/24. (Update: the draft budget was approved by Cabinet on December 15).
  • December 13, 2022 / January 4, 2023 – Budget Scrutiny Panel meeting to consider the draft budget for 2023/24
  • February 9, 2023 – Cabinet to consider recommending the budget to Council (Update: Cabinet approved recommending the draft budget to full council)
  • February 27, 2023 – Council approves the budget for 2023/24 (read the report to Council)

Last updated: Thu 9th March, 2023 @ 21:00