Next year we need to save £73 million – twice the amount that we had to save last year.
On top of that, we now think that we will have to save more than £100 million over the next three years – on top of half a billion pounds lost since 2010. It equates to more than £1,099 per household.
Twelve years of cuts means there is no longer any fat to trim from council services, and this limits the options in balancing our books, which we have a legal duty to do.
Make no mistake, bringing forward this budget has been one of the biggest challenges I and Cabinet colleagues have ever faced.
Our absolute priority and commitment is to avoid cutting services where possible. That is why we are looking at alternatives such as raising extra income through improved income generation. Every additional pound that we get in, is an extra pound that we don’t have to remove from the frontline.
We are also comprehensively reviewing every area of the council, leaving no stone unturned in our drive to modernise and deliver more efficient services. For example, we can use it as an opportunity to consolidate services in one building, rather than them being spread across three or four. We have a strong community and voluntary sector in the city, so we will also be looking to see what they may be able to deliver on our behalf.
I also want to reassure you that we are well under way with putting our own financial house in order – driving much better efficiency from our contracts and targeting bad debtors – are just two issues that we are working on. Delivering best value and social value is an absolute priority for us as we know it is something that you, as council tax payers, expect.
Today’s Autumn Statement does not appear to have brought any good news – but as always, our first priority will be to make sure we lessen the impact of the savings on the most vulnerable in the city.
Over the coming weeks, we will be explaining in more detail what our proposals will mean for you. Please do get involved when we launch our budget engagement later this month.
You can find more information about the proposals at https://liverpool.gov.uk/budget
Mayor Joanne Anderson