Council sets balanced budget for the year ahead

Published: 21 February 2023

Councillors have set a balanced budget for the year ahead and heard that the city continues to be successful despite the pressures of rising costs.

Council Leader Phil Bialyk said the cost of living crisis – inflationary increases, interest rate rises and higher energy costs meant the budget would be reduced by more than £3m this year.

The City Council’s share of the council tax will by £175.13, increasing by less than 10p a week, or £5.08 a year - less than the County Council’s increase or the Police increase.

Cllr Bialyk said: “We have been working hard to achieve the necessary savings and in making the necessary reductions to our budget we have done everything possible to minimise the impact to residents.”

In his budget speech Cllr Bialyk highlighted many of the successes the city has enjoyed over the last 12 months, including:

• Progression of the food waste collection rollout - more than 20,000 homes will receive food waste collections in the city by May
• St Sidwell’s Point, the first Passivhaus leisure centre in the UK, has won a host of top industry awards since it opened in April
• £850,000 was given directly supporting 112 groups to deliver community activities across the city
• The Government’s Household Support Fund schemes were distributed to 7,489 households with a value of £715,673. The Council Tax £150 Energy Rebate schemes were distributed to 45,557 households, with a value of £6,803,310
• Edwards Court Extra Care Scheme opened in October in partnership with Devon County Council and has proved popular with residents. It is the first Passivhaus care facility in the UK
• Footfall increased by 22.9% to 24.3 million - almost 20 per cent higher than the pre-pandemic 2019 figure
• Work in beginning on site for 21 new Passivhaus flats at Hamlin Gardens
• Site clearance and tendering process completed for the commencement of 92 flats at The Gardens Whipton, at Vaughan Road
• The Council housing retrofit programme has seen 420 properties completed
• Consultation on the Draft Exeter Plan was held in every ward of the city - around 4,000 responses were made by residents, businesses and organisations across the city

Cllr Bialyk said: “We are very proud of the services we run here in Exeter and the success that city continues to enjoy. I think it is important to detail these achievements and I would like to thank all our partners in the City with whom we work with to keep our City moving forward and maintain our success.”

Setting the budget means a typical Band D Council Tax in Exeter will be split as follows:

Exeter City Council £175.13

Devon County Council £1,419.21

Devon County Council - Adult Social Care £214.92

Devon & Cornwall Police £261.56

Devon & Somerset Fire and Rescue £96.79

It makes a total bill for a Band D property in Exeter of £2,167.61

Cllr Bialyk added: “Our Senior Leadership team have been reviewing our services and how we can make efficiency savings and generate additional income.

“We need to increase our charges in line with or just below inflation, and we have re-zoned many of our car parks in the city centre. This will have an impact on some, but it is a necessary part of our budget process.

“While we continue to do our best for Exeter, and to ensure we remain a successful city, it is right that everyone recognises the funding predicament that we face, and the measures we are taking to deal with it.”

Read the full budget speech here

The Revenue and Capital Estimates 2023-2024 report is available to view on our website