Budget and council tax proposal 2023/24

No surprise that councils on here are backing the higher increase...
None of these options actually address the main issue that concerns the general public, which is value for money. This is simply asking for more money rather than the public seeing genuine basic improvements to our local areas. Expenditure appears to be a black hole filled with bureaucracy, overpaid and overmanned middle to senior management, with poor communication throughout. One look at the proposals for major works in the county show that projects are stuck in the system year after year and the costs increase with each delay. The longer these things take, the more expensive they become. As a result, it appears that the public have to make increased payments to cover this inefficiency without seeing any increase to standards.
This is then compounded when those who have paid into the system for years, finally retire and eventually rely upon the care system, only to find they yet again have to pay out of their own pocket because the council refuse to support them. There is no benefit to working hard, having personal savings, or indeed contributing to the public purse, as all it does it exclude you from support of any kind when you need it, whilst you pay more and more for a net worth of nothing.
The council need to be more accountable for how the money is spent.

Scotter Parish Council discussed the option in their January meeting. They agreed option A was the most acceptable in the current climate.

Following an email to Utterby Parish councillors they supported Option A: 2% adult social care precept + 0.99% general precept = 2.99% precept

Option A - costs for everyday living are escalating daily and many people are struggling.

Option D

please people don't have anymore money in the post at all we have all having to cut baxk so council will have to do the same instead of passing your costs onto us all the time

Option a and ideally option e below as people don't have anymore money to pay a council tax rise this yearnot everyone is working, alot jn the area of East lyndsey are unemployed,retired and disabled please think of a reduction and higher boses take a pay cut like us people in the community are having to cut back, the alternative is freeze the council tax this year and the council learn how to do cut backs too, irs nad enough pay council tax and still have to pay for green waste 50 a year think is over charges and you could do a direxy debit option for the green waste which would help residents to beabke to subscribe to the service. Think of the public pocket first please this year we all have no more money in the pot.

Option A - taxes have gone up by enormous amounts over the last few years, appreciate that this isn't getting through to local Government but the country is overtaxed. Difficult choices need making.

Hemswell Cliff Parish Council supports option C.

Option A. In the current climate please use cash from reserves. It's there for rainy days, and it's pouring down.

Fotherby Parish council considers option C to be appropriate

Can I propose Option B is put forward (2% adult social care precept + 1.99% general precept = 3.99% precept). Noting the reserves detailed in the report Option B seems a good compromise. Option A removes too much from the reserves when viewing the future predicted shortfalls, whilst option C places too much on the people of Lincolnshire with the way inflation has rocketed.

Option c.

In the current economic situation, difficult decisions have to be made. I am staggered by the amount of money going into adult social care compared to other services. With that in mind, in my opinion option A should be considered.

I note that there is no option for a zero% position nor one for a reduction in Council Tax and associated precepts.
I challenge you to offer a real consultation -
Option D 2% adult social care precept + -2.0% general precept = 0% precept
Option E 2% adult social care precept + -7.0% general precept = 5% precept

Past time for LCC and District Councils to reduce their expenditure, just as many families are having to do, and pass on the cuts to struggling households.

Option E

Option A no matter how much we want to help the situation will only get worse if those with no money left end up struggling even further. going higher would long term cause more problems that you are trying to help.

My hart says option C, BUT my financial postion, as a disabled veteran, on a pention, I can only say option A, as every pound and penny i get/have is already acounted for, (more than once). Sad but true......

Option A

Can LCC provide any form of additional data to justify the proposals as they sit? Especially regarding the total amount or percentage of council tax payers who use the adult social care system? Given this remains a constant in all three proposals it would indicate that this decision has been made and yet there is likely to other areas that members of the public would want targeted funding (such as highways given the extremely poor state of roads in our county).

Also LCC need to reassess their current costs for projects they routinely announce and if they are truly value for money. Only recently was a spend of £300k announced to rebuild a footpath which can hardly be justified in the current climate whilst still proposing an increase in council tax.

The annual County Council claim of poverty - we all know that spending is being cut in real terms, and that Local Govt. is an easy target for central govt. so this claim is completely understandable. However, if LCC is serious about saving money, why is it proposing to spend £200m on the Lincoln Southern ByPass alone (now renamed North Hykeham Relief Road I understand)? We know historically that final costs of large civil engineering costs are much higher, so considering the recent inflation hikes and unforeseen costs on site, this could realistically end up as £280 to £300m.

Does this represent good value for money? Does it really paint a picture of an authority strapped for cash? More importantly, we are no longer living in the 20th century - the car is not king anymore, how does the County Council reconcile its 2019 commitment to becoming a carbon neutral authority by 2050 with the huge new road building programme (Spalding, Grantham, North Hykeham, Orby, Skegness...)? What kind of responsible authority these days promotes such an extensive and environmentally damaging road building programme?

The carbon costs captured must include service life of the roads, the traffic they generate (let us not kid ourselves anymore that new roads relieve traffic), maintenance costs, raw material extraction, and ultimately the costs associated with the housing projects they will generate. Planting a few trees does not balance the destruction of environment for material quarrying.

If LCC wants to save money, and contribute to saving the planet (this old phrase is no longer an exaggeration is it?) - STOP building new roads (please).

Option B seems to be fair. With rising costs, it's clear we need to have a larger increase, however this needs to be affordable and the cost of living crisis is having a huge impact on the residents of Lincolnshire. Perhaps when the cost of living is more under control (hopefully 2024!) a larger increase would sit better with the public