Budget boost for Children’s Services and Adult Social Care

The Lib Dem/Green administration at Oxfordshire County Council is proposing a substantial boost for Children's Services and Adult Social Care in this year’s County Council budget.

And despite the pressure councils are facing up and down the country, the proposals represent a balanced budget for the coming year.

“Today, we are able to propose a balanced budget, focused on looking after vulnerable residents, managing the effects of climate change, and achieving our target of net zero by 2030,” said Council Leader Liz Leffman.

“We have been careful in managing our reserves, prudent in our borrowing, and pragmatic in working towards an agile organisation which delivers savings at the same time as improving services.”

Highlights of the Lib Dem/Green budget include:

• Children’s Services budget includes a real-terms increase of 10.6%.
• Increase Adult Services budget in real terms by 6.9% this year.
• £1.3m from the Budget Priority Reserve to improving roadside drainage, ditch clearance and vegetation management.

Oxfordshire’s budget is being delivered against a backdrop of rising demands for expensive services and high inflation. Several councils have already issued Section 114 notices – effectively declaring bankruptcy.

“I am very grateful to the County Councils Network for having campaigned tirelessly on behalf of upper tier authorities recently to impress on government that we are all struggling to meet demand and to deal with inflationary pressures. And I am particularly grateful to the 44 backbench Conservative MPs who had the courage to stand up in January and demand that the Prime Minister increase grant funding to upper tier authorities,” added Cllr. Leffman.