I wanted to explain something important that you’ll be hearing more about in the coming weeks: North Somerset, like many councils across the country, is facing a very serious funding gap next year – a cut of more than 25% in our government grant.

I know that whenever budgets come up, people understandably ask: “Why can’t you just cut waste?” or “Why don’t you manage the money better?” So, I want to set out clearly why this situation has arisen and what it means for our area.

HOW WE GOT HERE

For many years, North Somerset kept council tax lower than most similar councils, and in some years even froze it. At the time, some felt this was the right approach, but the reality is that it has meant less money coming in each year to pay for essential services. To make matters worse, over the past 15 years, all councils have had huge cuts in funding from central government while at the same time coping with an enormous rise in demand for social care, children’s services and homelessness support. The pressure has become unsustainable.

A simple way to picture it is this:
Imagine your household income suddenly dropping by 25%, just as your mortgage, food and energy bills go up. You’d cut back wherever you could, but eventually you’d reach a point where there’s nothing left to trim without putting your home at risk. That’s broadly the situation the council is in.

CLEARING UP A COMMON MISUNDERSTANDING

I know this will come up in questions, so I want to explain clearly how funding works for bus lanes, the Tropicana, and Birnbeck Pier. These projects are paid for through separate, ring-fenced government grants, and that money legally cannot be used for day-to-day services like social care or for fixing the budget gap. Even if those projects were cancelled tomorrow, the funding wouldn’t come into our budget – it would simply go back to the government. I know that’s frustrating, but it’s important to have the full picture.

Since I was elected, our Cabinet has worked extremely hard to manage our budgets and make ends meet. We’ve already made significant savings and will continue to do so. One example is the change to our waste collection, which has saved just over £1 million. But with this new 25% funding cut, the gap is simply too large for efficiencies alone to close.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

To protect vital services, the council has applied to the government for Exceptional Financial Support. If approved, this wouldn’t be extra money; it would simply allow us to spread some costs over more years and to propose a council tax rise above the normal cap. We expect to find out in late January whether the government will approve our request. After that, all decisions will be debated and voted on by all councillors in February.

I know a potential rise in council tax will be worrying, especially when many households are already stretched. My commitment to you is that if approved, every extra pound raised will go towards keeping essential services running – the things that protect vulnerable residents, maintain local infrastructure and support our community.
You deserve honesty about the challenges we face locally, and I will continue to share updates as openly as possible. If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to message me or comment below – I’ll do my best to answer. Thank you for taking the time to read this. These are tough conversations, but they matter, and your voice matters.

Annemieke

Email: annemieke.waite@n-somerset.gov.uk