Share your views on the proposals for Communities, Environment and Economy
The ‘Unprecedented Times’ budget consultation has now closed. Thank you to everyone who took part. Your feedback has made a difference by helping to shape the Council budget. A copy of the feedback report is available here. The Council budget and services were discussed by Council on 20 February 2020. Information about the meeting is available here. |
The Council provides a range of services that focus on communities, environment and economy. For example, maintaining roads, managing planning applications, licensing premises, collecting household waste, maintaining public spaces, supporting local economic growth and engaging with local communities.
Our key priorities, particularly as we move forward from COVID-19, are to grow our local economy and deliver good jobs with fair wages for our residents, and address the climate emergency.
We have developed a number of proposals to balance the budget and ensure there is enough money to tackle these priorities.
We want to hear:
- Your views on the budget proposals
- Ideas for further savings that could be made.
To find out more please watch our animation or read about the detailed communities, environment and economy proposals here.
Share your views:
There are lots of ways you can get involved, just click on one of the tabs below.
An easy read survey will be available shortly.
This consultation will be open until 3 December 2020.
Further information
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Unprecedented Times Feedback Report (pdf format) (645 KB) (pdf)
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Unprecedented Times full document (PDF version) (1.01 MB) (pdf)
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Unprecedented Times easy read survey (PDF format) (7.77 MB) (pdf)
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Communities, Environment and Economy detailed proposals (accessible format)
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Glossary of terms used in the budget proposals (accessible format)
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Unprecedented times - foreword and financial context (accessible format)
Cllr Gahan recently advised that business rates are 6.5% down yet you are pressing on with the creation of yet more units in the Northgate Project. Covid has had a huge lasting impact on people’s shopping habits and footfall is considerably down in Chester city centre. Is the council really in a position to fund yet more units and how confident are that you are going to fill them?
How does the council propose to help and support local businesses and our town and city centre’s recover post Covid?
Why has no funding been allocated to Chester for proper active travel schemes such as segregated cycle lanes rather than just the Bus Lanes that have been imposed on us?
How much is running the Park & Ride service at full capacity costing the tax payer despite most of the buses being empty?
How does the council plan to fund any changes identified at the the “experimental” period for the active travel lanes considering no tranche 2 funding has been allocated to chester?
How much are all the changes you are making to the active travel lanes and Grosvenor Bridge costing? These have surely gone over the £7.5k contingency from central government.
There is no mention of the Apprenticeship levy in the budget consultation. Whilst this won't result in a direct saving, by transferring the levy (up to 25%) to other local employers, this will likely result in indirect savings, as local small businesses are given the resources to grow, and un-employment is reduced. What % of the total levy available has been transferred to other employers in this financial year ? What are the expectations in future years for the levy to be used by the council or transferred to other local employers ?
Isn't the assumption you can save on concessionary fares at odds with the council's desire to encourage more people to use public transport ? (I assume this includes those with bus passes?). Has any analysis been done to understand why there has been a reduction, and if this will be maintained for the period in question? What assumptions have been made as to the impact of COVID and social distancing required? This question relates to (2.7) Concessionary fares which is forecasting a total saving by the end of 2024 to be £170,000. Can we instead invest this money in schemes which encourage walking and cycling and are a positive contribution to the climate change emergency ?
In view of the recent £300000 fine from Health and safety after the fall of a child from the rows in Bridge St, resulting in serious head injury the child, what future plans do the council have to ensure our beautiful ancient city is kept in a better state of repair and to ensure that residents and visitors alike remain safe.
Why does there seem to have been no progress in repairing the existing damage to the city walls, a major tourist attraction to our city.
When I've been out with work, family and friends over the past few years I've often gone to Chester Market and really enjoyed the range of food, the drink and the other things on offer as well as the really friendly feel of the place. How will you preserve the positives of the market when the Northgate development happens?
I would like to ask - given that unemployment is rising and more people are experiencing poverty, how is the Council planning to support people in financial difficulty, whilst saving £218,000 (as in proposal 2.8)