This administration is committed to being responsible with our budget, and with our services, and staying true to our ambition that no one is left behind.
The Council’s 2022/23 budget is a budget to be delivered in a year that holds many challenges, but also many opportunities as we finally come out of the pandemic and welcome back many of the norms we have missed for so long.
The challenges however are very real.
Many we were already facing, like tackling the Climate Emergency.
Many have been exacerbated by COVID, like pressures on mental health services and Adult Social Care.
Many are new and emerging, with different social and behavioural patterns in our post-COVID, post-Brexit world.
This budget is all about responsible, strong leadership in the face of those challenges, to deliver our collective ambitions for Surrey. Ultimately – that no one is left behind.
Every single penny of Council Tax – every single penny we spend – is spent to make Surrey a better place.
Our Transformation Programme has so far saved £240m and that’s more than £75m each and every year, with a further £75m projected over the next few years, all the while improving services for residents. We will continue to be responsible with taxpayer’s money.
The vast majority of the money we spend – indeed the vast majority of people’s Council Tax in Surrey – is spent on looking after a tiny proportion of our population.
Adult Social Care, Special Education Needs Provision, looking after children in care – it’s all hugely expensive, but this is what we’re about.
So it is important that we remember what this Council is here for; it is helping those that need us.
Providing everyone with opportunity.
Alongside our day-to-day service delivery, and our revenue budget, we have also set out an ambitious - but deliverable - 5-year plan of investments that will deliver both immediate improvements for Surrey residents and long-term savings to our budget including:
£139m to create more school places,
£126m to provide supported living and independent care accommodation,
£64m increasing provision for special education needs and disability in schools,
£51m on safer highways infrastructure,
£65m as the first tranche of a budgeted £273m on reducing carbon emissions to tackle the climate emergency,
£100m to be invested in projects promoted by our communities,
£200m improving our roads and footways,
£34m increasing the capacity and quality of residential homes for children.
We could shirk our responsibility, put our head in the sand and muddle along hoping for government money that will not come.
But we’re not going to that. That is not the way of this Council.
We are going to stand up, roll up our sleeves and not only tackle those challenges – we’re going to make the best of them.
We’re going to make Surrey a better place.
And we’re going to make sure no one is left behind.
Tim Oliver - Leader of Surrey County Council
Recorded from BBC Surrey