There was always going to be a shortfall. Despite receiving £1.4m from the government, Crawley Council say the coronavirus pandemic has had such a huge impact on the town that there is now a huge shortfall of £1.2m.
Even more worryingly this gap is expected to grow to £1.7m within a year.
The council says with the closure of attractions, leisure facilities and even car parks, their income has diminished and combined with an increase in expenditure for the towns most vulnerable residents it has widened the gap further.
Now the council is having to take action and they openly admit that it is ‘highly’ likely that council services will have to be reduced.
According to the council they have already managed to save £500,000 internally and that was without the need to reduce or even remove any services.
But with such a large gap still to fill now they are proposing drastic action.
In a statement the council says they are proposing:
· Reviewing waste services, potentially moving from weekly to fortnightly rubbish collections and considering the introduction of a weekly food waste collection. This would increase our recycling rate, helping the council move towards our aim of being carbon neutral by 2050 and saving taxpayers’ money
· Post-Covid, reviewing the support the council gives to the community and the voluntary sector. We currently spend more in this area than other districts and borough councils in West Sussex
· Closing or reducing the operating hours of public toilets
· Reviewing adventure play, moving to a more flexible model of delivery
· Reviewing the number, type and specification of cricket squares, bowling greens and croquet lawns
· Where appropriate, pricing our fees and charges accordingly so that costs are covered.
Councillor Peter Lamb, Leader of the Council, said:
“For the last six years, Crawley Borough Council has bucked the trend. Despite huge cuts to local government funding, every year we have managed to generate enough new revenue to make up for the cuts without having to put council tax up above inflation. Due to the pandemic, that is no longer possible.
“Throughout the lockdown, the money-making parts of the council were forced to shut, while various new costs arose. Unfortunately, the financial consequences will last long beyond this one year, with the economic impact resulting in a significant ongoing cut to the council’s income from business rates and council tax.
“As a result, for the first time since I became Council Leader we are having to make real cuts to balance the budget. We will do everything we can to make savings humanely and minimise the impact on frontline services, but there will be real consequences for service delivery.”
The council is asking for residents views on the proposed savings in their four-week consultation.
Visit crawley.gov.uk/consultation to have your say.