Household waste collections to be reviewed as part of consultation for cash-strapped Shropshire Council
Household waste collections is just one area in Shropshire that will be reviewed as the council looks to set its budget for the next financial year.
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A six-week public consultation will launch on December 9 which will be used to help reduce the budget for the cash-strapped authority.
As well as reviewing household waste collections, it will look at park-and-ride services in Ludlow and Shrewsbury, charges for social care, and civil enforcement for issues such as dog fouling, littering, and parking.
A range of options for car parking in town centres will also be looked at, as well as seeing if more services could be devolved to other organisations.
More details about the areas to be reviewed, which have been discussed by a cross-party budget group, will be published when the budget consultation starts.
The council says that, later in December, there will be greater clarity on the continuing financial challenge Shropshire faces, driven mainly by rising demand for social care and higher costs, once it receives its budget settlement from the Government.
A report has been sent to the Transformation and Improvement Overview Scrutiny Committee ahead of its meeting on Monday, December 2.
“The approach has helped to make best use of officer time, whilst they work to meet the financial challenges of the current year, as well as providing a forum for open and transparent discussions, where members from all parties had access to the same information and answers to the questions asked and points raised,” reads the report.
“Over eight meetings, the group took into account the current position of the council’s finances and performance, and considered in greater detail the pressures, forecast growth requirements, broad areas for savings, and the capital strategy. This also included work underway and planned looking at third party spend, and the implications from the Government’s Autumn Statement.”
In 2024/25, the council is on track to save a record £47m from its day-to-day spending budget, following £40m of savings made in the previous year.
This has included introducing a subscription charge for garden waste, a resizing programme that will reduce the council by around 540 posts, and moving out of its Shirehall headquarters to the smaller Guildhall in Shrewsbury town centre, which it already owns.
However, the council says that further budget savings will be needed next year as demand for social care continues to grow, cost pressures remain and the council needs to cover off further savings it has yet to deliver.
Lezley Picton, leader of Shropshire Council said: “We’ve been consistent and clear about the scale of financial challenge we face from a growing need for social care, in particular, and rising costs, just like councils all over the country.
“People in Shropshire are feeling the effect of changes we’ve had to make this year, such as charging for garden waste.
“However, more difficult decisions are needed to ensure that we continue on the path towards a financially sustainable future.
“I’m grateful to all political group leaders on Shropshire Council for their discussion in gathering these themes for consultation on the difficult choices that lie ahead. We must build on this momentum together and continue to close the gap for future years.”
