Budget update from Councillor Amanda Serjeant, Chesterfield Borough Council’s deputy leader.
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00:00 Many of us are now aware of the financial difficulties which so many local councils across the country are facing,
00:07 including here in Chesterfield and across Derbyshire.
00:10 This is the reality of the national economic crisis,
00:14 together with the impact of the long-term and significant reductions in government funding for councils,
00:19 which is having a huge impact on the services that councils can provide and how they are delivered.
00:25 While the reasons for these unprecedented pressures are largely outside of our control,
00:31 we do have control over how we respond to them and we continue to take a responsible and sustainable approach.
00:38 In doing so, our priority is clear – to do all we can to protect essential services that our most vulnerable residents rely on.
00:47 Since my last budget video, we have continued with our work to review our services
00:53 and think about how we could do things differently.
00:56 To help us do this, we have been listening to your views about where you think we should prioritise our under-pressure resources.
01:04 Your comments have shaped our detailed service proposals.
01:08 I would like to thank everyone who had their say in our budget conversation and shared their views in other ways.
01:15 There are never going to be any easy choices and we have tried to be open, honest and realistic about that.
01:22 We can't deliver all of the council's services to the same levels with such a reduction in funding and income.
01:30 Over recent weeks, we have had to make some of those tough decisions,
01:34 such as the new charges for garden waste collections,
01:37 introducing a small charge for residence parking and looking at the way we best use some of our buildings.
01:44 These were among the key proposals which have already been considered, with more coming forward,
01:50 and as we head towards our annual budget setting at the end of February.
01:55 These challenging decisions are not in vain.
01:58 Despite the size and scale of the challenge, the council is on track to meet its legal duty to set a balanced budget for the next financial year.
02:07 We know the coming months and years are not going to be easy, but we will try to remain open, honest and realistic
02:14 and continue our ongoing budget conversation.
02:17 Please know that even in the most difficult of times, our vision remains the same
02:22 to put our communities first and to protect the most vulnerable in Chesterfield Borough.