Investment Budget will build on achievements

The County Council spending plans for the next twelve months, detailed in the Council's Revenue Budget for 2003/04 of £443.677 million agreed today, signal high levels of investment in frontline services, the further development of a modern County Council and builds on recent achievements to improve the quality and choice of services to the people of the County. This has been achieved despite a poor annual grant settlement from Government, compromised by significant reductions in funding for Highways Maintenance. 

County Council Leader, Rex Toft, explains. 

"The budget agreed today will produce better services for the people of this County and signals a real investment for the future. Despite a poor Government grant settlement, we have met all our commitments to service delivery and are funding a modernisation programme that will produce dividends for years to come. 

We've given a significant increase of 7.5% to schools. This includes a real increase in spending despite the massive impact of the teachers pay award settlement and increased national insurance contributions. At the same time, we are making extra money available to ensure three year olds across the County can access education in the term following their third birthday. 

In Social Services we're building on our significant investment of last year, which has already reaped dividends. We've already seen bed blocking figures fall by 74%, ahead of Government targets and this area remains a high priority. In Residential and Nursing care we've made an above inflation increase and taken account of the continuing growth in the elderly population. We're making additional payments to Foster Carers and, of course, the re-investment of Homecare income into Social Services is bringing a wider choice and availability of services to many more people. 

Elsewhere, we've managed to deal with the increased costs of Waste Disposal and despite the savage cut in Highways Maintenance grants, given a commitment that there is protection for our winter maintenance budgets. 

All in all, this budget signals a turning point for the Council; a budget of investment, a budget that helps prime our innovative Invest to Save and Improve programme, that will reap some £8 - £25 million of capital receipts in the next couple of years. We will continue to invest to deliver better quality services and wider choice ensuring that we do all we can to meet the needs and aspiration of the people of this County." 

Deputy Leader of the County Council. Mike Ash, is equally convinced of the importance of this years budget. 

"The investment this budget makes will support our modernisation process as well as finding new money to meet the pressures in spending, like waste disposal, which were not accommodated within the government's grant settlement. 

We have insisted that Officers identify savings or other sources of funding, to meet the additional costs of this investment. 

We have also introduced real cash savings from efficiency measures - the same service for less spending. And these are only the start of releasing for reinvestment real savings generated by efficiency improvement. We will be looking for even greater efficiency savings year on year. Previously Best Value savings have been promised but never delivered. We will make them a reality, for the benefit of council taxpayers in Cumbria."