Residents will have chance to comment during budget consultation

People will be asked to give their views on the council’s draft budget plans for 2025-26 along with its four-year Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP).

The council continues to face significant financial pressures, with demands increasing in vital areas such as adult social care and homelessness.

A report published today (Monday 25 November), ahead of a Cabinet meeting on 3 December, sets out savings worth £3.649m in 2025/26. A total of £21.5m in savings are proposed over the next four years.

Among the proposed savings is £3.556m over the next four years through redesigning some back office services – removing historic underspend, reducing running cost and embracing new ways of working.

Energy usage has been closely monitored, with £1.5m in savings anticipated over the next four years.

The council has also reviewed income streams and expects to bring in £7.428m over the four-year MTFP period. This will be achieved through additional grant income, fees and charges, overhead recovery and more efficient debt income collection.

A transformation programme of work will look at how financial subsidies to much-loved leisure and cultural facilities– can be reduced while maintaining these to the high standards residents expect.

In addition, a proposed Council Tax increase of 2.99 per cent, plus a social care precept of 2 per cent, would generate additional income to help provide vital services.

Councillor Stephen Harker, Leader of the Council, said: “We have wrestled with the challenge of proposing a balanced budget that achieves real savings while protecting, as far as possible, the vital services that people depend on.

“There will be things in this set of proposals that people will look at and have questions or comments about.

“That’s why we’re having a full six-week consultation period, for people to take the time to understand what is being put forward and tell us what they think. If people have genuine suggestions of how we could do things differently, I’d be pleased to hear them.”

The consultation is due to formally start after Cabinet on December 3 and run until Sunday 19 January 2025.

Click here to read the full proposals in the report to Cabinet.

Residents will be able to have their say on the MTFP proposals by emailing [email protected] or posting your comments to Finance Team, Darlington Borough Council, Town Hall, Feethams, Darlington DL1 5QT.