Monday, March 18, 2024

Council sets budget for 2024/25

  • Balanced budget agreed by Members 
  • Services will be maintained at current levels  
  • Major projects protected  

Following a vote by members, West Lancashire Borough Council has successfully agreed a balanced budget for 2024/25.  

Despite the same funding and inflationary pressures faced by many local authorities, officers and Members worked hard together to identify £1.2m of savings in order to achieve a balanced budget, meaning: 

 

  • Essential services will be protected and maintained at current levels.  
  • Major projects such as the Burscough to Ormskirk Linear Park will continue to receive previously agreed levels of support. 
  • Funding to protect third party delivery of vital community services has been confirmed, such as £30,000 for Dial A Ride. 

 

The Council has also secured £1.5m in capital funding from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund which will be used to deliver a number of projects to improve the lives of residents within the Borough. The UKSPF West Lancashire Community Grants Fund Programme is a significant initiative aimed at enhancing the quality of life and well-being of the community, closing health equality gaps and supporting the resilience of our vital third sector organisations. The programme is delivered to three key areas: Communities and Place, Supporting Local Businesses and People and Skills. 

 

Councillor Rob Molloy, portfolio holder for Finance and Economic Regeneration, said: “Delivering the level of services our residents deserve is becoming more and more difficult, yet we have successfully once again delivered a balanced and responsible budget for the next year even with the background of an incredibly unpredictable and challenging economic picture. 

 

“I’d like to extend my thanks to the officers at the Council who have worked incredibly hard to identify the areas we can make savings in, as well as focusing on protecting the delivery of our services across the Borough  

 

“Residents can be assured that we will continue to explore any way open to us to offer the very best value for money we can.”