Shropshire Council's budget plan to focus on priorities while tackling inflation pressures
Shropshire Council has started to set out its financial plans for the next five years, which will see it focus its efforts on delivering the priorities set out in the Shropshire Plan.
The Shropshire Plan, adopted by Full Council in May 2022, sees the council focusing on ensuring a healthy population, supported by a healthy economy and environment, and a healthy, well-run council.
The Medium Term Financial Strategy Review 2022/23, which will be considered by Cabinet at its meeting on Wednesday 20 July, also highlights how inflation is hitting the council’s budget for this year, and the measures already being taken to respond to this.
The council expects to save £8.5 million from its budget this year – but faces a gap of £27.5 million the following year.
Gwilym Butler, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for finance and corporate resources, said:
“This is all about getting us in the best place possible to ensure we can deliver on the goals we have set out in the Shropshire Plan.
“Yes we have a very steep hill to climb next year, now made even steeper due to inflation, but that will place us in a good position for the following years.
“We are now looking at proposals that will help us to do this, and will start bringing some of these ideas forward during the autumn, and provide local people with the opportunity to comment on this.
“Make no bones about it – this will be a difficult task. But we are in much better position now than we were in previous years because we’ve acted swiftly and decisively.
“A key to this will be doing all we can to promote a healthy population through a range of preventative measures and the support needed to keep people healthy, active and independent for as long as possible.
“Doing so will help reduce how much of our budget we devote to social care, and to focus more around ensuring that Shropshire as a place remains an attractive area to visit, and to live and work in.”
