Cornwall Council Draft Budget 2022/23

Cornwall Council plays a big part in people’s lives, and every year, we spend over a billion pounds providing public services that you, your family and friends use every day.

The pandemic has left us facing some very big financial challenges. Our population is growing, people are generally living longer and the type of services that people need is changing. The cost of living is going up and as things become more expensive, we also have higher costs.

During the Covid pandemic, our number one priority has been to support and protect our residents. The response to Covid, in particular around our response to adult social care and protecting the most vulnerable has hit the Council’s finances hard. We are working hard to address a significant and urgent budget challenge, both now and in the next four years.

To help us achieve this, following the pandemic we have set a clear mission for Cornwall Council of working with communities for a carbon neutral Cornwall, where everyone can start well, live well and age well.

We are determined to build back better, greener and fairer and have four clear priorities, shaped by our residents and young people to make Cornwall:

• A brilliant place to be a child and grow up
• In a thriving, sustainable Cornwall that offers a secure home, a decent income and a great environment for all
• With vibrant, safe, supportive communities where people help each other live well
• All supported by an empowering and enterprising Council that delivers great value for money

Our draft budget proposals reflect these priorities as we focus on delivering value for money by moving resources from areas that contribute less to the new priority outcomes and investing in those that do.

We are now seeking views on our plans to deliver these priorities within the budget available to us. These priorities build on the actions we have already taken to tackle the housing crisis, turbo-charge our economy, and make Cornwall the first place in the UK to be net carbon neutral.

The budget consultation has ended. Feedback has been analysed and the report has been considered by Cabinet and Full Council in February as part of the process for agreeing the final budget.