“God help us” if the coronavirus pandemic forces another shutdown this summer like was seen in 2020.
Deputy council leader Richard Samuel | Photo courtesy of B&NES Liberal Democrats
That was the stark message from Bath and North East Somerset Council finance chief Councillor Richard Samuel, who said Covid-19’s impact will be felt for years to come.
The authority is more reliant than most on the income – some £30 million – it normally receives from its museums and attractions, parking and commercial estate, which were significantly hit by the restrictions.
After an emergency budget was drafted it saved £20 million this but needs to make another £8.5 million of cuts in 2021/22.
The average band D property is set to be charged another £72.69 a year from April to help balance the books, taking the authority’s share of council tax to £1,529.57.
Speaking during a press conference on the budget last week, Cllr Samuel said: “This pandemic effect isn’t going to last one year. It’s going to affect our finances possibly as far as five years in the future.
“We’ve been very successful in generating out our own income to replace lost government grants. The council has been using its income to support its spending programme.
“That’s what’s taken a massive hit this year. This is effectively another emergency budget,.
“The aim is to keep the show on the road, but at the same time stabilise our finances for future years.
“This is not a normal budget. We’re not in normal times.”
He added: “We’ve tried to make sure the key services that local people get are still there and largely unaffected by these changes.”
The council is using £11.5 million from reserves that it plans to replenish over five years in order to bridge the gap in its finances, and is setting aside a £5 million Covid reserve.
“We know we’ve got challenges next year,” said Cllr Samuel, the deputy council leader.
“We’ve looked very hard at the income. It’s realistic about what will happen. We aren’t operating on the optimistic side of estimating.
“If we have another year like we’ve just had, God help us all, because the damage to the local and national economy will be huge.”
But he said when the lockdown is lifted, Bath and North East Somerset are likely to see an influx of visitors, as they did last summer. But with them came the increased risk of spreading the virus.
Cllr Samuel said the pandemic will one day be over and the Liberal Democrat administration was determined to maintain its focus on issues that have not gone away, like the climate and ecological crises.
Next year’s proposed budget – which is set to be approved by councillors this month – includes £561,000 for active travel schemes to encourage more walking and cycling, two new renewable energy funds totalling £1.9 million, and £1.7 million for the Lib Dems’ flagship liveable neighbourhoods programme.
Nearly £1.2 million will be spent reconfiguring offices and £800,000 on refurbishing the commercial estate, with £1.6 million allocated for maintenance on the corporate estate.
A number of cuts are also proposed.
The council is set to launch a major review of care packages, introduce new charges for recycling rubble, plasterboard and tyres, halve the number of pay and display machines and end the use of credit card payments.
Council leader Dine Romero said: “We’ve had a reduction in our income at the same time as demand on our services has increased.
“It’s not great circumstances. These are very unusual times.
“This is not a budget that we wanted to deliver. These aren’t normal times. The budget does reflects that unusualness.”
Stephen Sumner, Local Democracy Reporter
