Cambridge City Council has today (23 October) launched its public budget consultation and is asking which services people think should be prioritised when the council sets its budget for April 2025 to March 2026.

The council currently spends £97.2 million per year to deliver a broad range of services in Cambridge. The council’s operating costs are paid for mainly from the income the council generates from fees and charges, Council Tax and Business Rates, commercial property rent, and Government grants.

In September, the council recommitted to saving £6 million annually by April 2026, outlining that £2.5 million could be saved by making changes to the council’s organisational structure, and £3.5 million by making changes to council services, such as implementing or increasing charges for some services.

Charging is already in place for several council services (such as car parking and leisure activities), which is an important source of income that brings in around £23 million every year to help cover operating costs. Without this income, many services would have to stop.

The council is considering increasing fees and charges in some areas or starting to charge for some services which are currently free at the point of use. This would exclude any services that the council is required by law to provide for free (such as offering homelessness support).

Cllr Simon Smith, Executive Councillor for Finance and Resources, explained: “Due to factors largely outside our control, including years of austerity and rising inflation, our operating costs are increasing, and our income is not keeping up. It is not sustainable for our outgoings to be higher than our income year after year, so we need to identify where we can increase our income and reduce our costs.

“Because of the work we’ve done to date, we still have the time to take a measured approach, focusing on modernising the way we work and finding efficiencies to bring down costs in the longer term, while having healthy reserves to draw on to help cover short-term costs.”

The consultation relates to the £3.5 million that could be saved by increasing fees and charges for council services, and by making changes to some of the discretionary services it offers. 

The survey includes questions such as:

• Should the council consider reintroducing charging for parking in its car parks after 6pm?
• Should the council charge higher prices for non-Cambridge residents who use the council swimming pools? 
• Should the council reduce the overall number of public toilets it manages?
• Should the council reduce the frequency of mowing and leaf collection in some areas?
• Should the council consider reducing the amount spent on CCTV cameras?
• Should the council consider redeveloping or selling commercial properties that generate the least income?

The Executive met on Tuesday 22 October to discuss and approve the budget consultation, where Cllr Simon Smith stated: “We are on the road to modernising the council, delivering efficient services and we are intent on being a best value authority that balances the books and puts us in a position to best benefit the communities we serve.

“What we’re doing now is seeking people’s views on the services we provide and what changes we could consider making, and we want to hear from as many people as possible before any decisions are made on the overall budget savings. This will allow us to make considered recommendations to Full Council.”

The short survey can be taken online between now and midnight on Wednesday 4 December. To request the survey in another format please call 01223 457000.

There are two additional surveys which have also been launched today, asking more detailed questions about any changes to car park provision and fees; and public toilet provision and fees. These surveys are linked to from the Budget survey for those who would like to feed back on these topics in greater detail. You can also take these surveys on their own.

Feedback from these consultations will inform the budget setting process for 2025/2026.