More cash to improve roads but council tax rise as Oxfordshire council budget approved

A 10-year improvement programme for Oxfordshire's transport network, more money for road maintenance and a maximum tax rise were agreed in the county council's latest budget.
Cllr. Ian Hudspeth, Oxfordshire County Council leader. NNL-150411-132940001Cllr. Ian Hudspeth, Oxfordshire County Council leader. NNL-150411-132940001
Cllr. Ian Hudspeth, Oxfordshire County Council leader. NNL-150411-132940001

But council tax is set to rise to raise extra money for adult and children’s social care.

Oxfordshire County Council agreed its budget on Tuesday, following a five-hour meeting of all 63 county councillors – each of whom is set to receive £15,000 to spend on local priorities in their local area.

The government has recently provided an additional £916,000 this year for highways repairs, which will be used for longer-term patching work in the spring.

County council leader Ian Hudspeth said: “For the first time, we have created a 10-year capital programme so we can take a longer view of the costs and benefits of road repairs.

“By taking the long view, we can spend less on filling potholes and more on repairs that will last for years.”

The county council agreed a 5.99 per cent increase in council tax, in order to put more money into social care.

Councils across England had originally understood that they would be allowed to raise council tax by 4.99 per cent in 2018/19, but central government announced in December that it would allow councils to raise council tax by an additional one per cent, primarily to address financial pressures in children’s social care.

Oxfordshire County Council says the extra one per cent will enable it to put £1.9m more into this service, with a further £1m set aside in contingency funding.

This means that overall £8.5m is being added to the budget for children’s social care in 2018/19.

Councillor Hudspeth said: “We’re pleased that the ability to raise income by an additional one per cent allows us to put more money into children’s social care in addition to the revenue we were already being allowed to raise for adult social care.

“Demands on these services across Oxfordshire and the entire country have been rising and the government has recognised that. We are seeking to manage demand in children’s social care but the protection of vulnerable people is the county council’s first priority.”

Under national guidelines, three per cent of the Council Tax rise must be spent on adult social care.

In the run-up to the meeting and after the publication of budget papers, the council was informed that, along with other councils, it would receive £1.4m of additional grant money from central government as part of a national fund for adult social care.

Rather than change already published proposals that officers have been working on for months, the county council plans to move an equivalent amount to contingency funds, with a review planned in the autumn taking into account the latest forecasts from the emerging financial monitoring for 2018/19.