We want your help to shape our budget
In January 2024, Mansfield District Council will meet to agree its budget for 2024/2025. In anticipation of this, we are undertaking a high-level review to understand what services are important to residents and are putting forward suggestions and alternatives to help bridge our anticipated shortfall in the budget.
Budget Consultation Results
You can view the results from the budget consultation via this link here. (opens in new window)
Introduction
We know households across the country are facing huge financial challenges. Rising prices makes this a cost-of-living emergency. Mansfield District Council is also facing its most difficult budget pressures for many years.
All local authorities are having to deal with large increases in inflation that are driving up costs and prices for energy, fuel and materials. The cost-of-living crisis means that we also have increased demand on our services. We must also budget for the pending pay awards and bad debt provision for potential unpaid commercial rent.
Across our Medium-Term Financial Strategy, 2024 – 2027, we have an anticipated shortfall of over £4.5m. Due to the uncertainties highlighted above this could be much higher and we need to plan for that situation. We must prioritise our services and focus on delivering what is needed. In order to get this right, we need to know what is important to the residents that we serve.
The accompanying information on this webpage and in the PDF brochure provides background information on the council’s finances and our approach to setting the budget for the coming year. We encourage you to read all the information before having your say.
Now is your chance to help shape the future of our services. When we have made these changes, Mansfield District Council will be in a much stronger and viable position for the future.
We are asking residents, businesses and wider stakeholders for their views on proposals for the next three financial years (2024-2027), with a specific focus on efficiencies and savings. We also welcome any ideas from you on how we can make savings and where you think our priorities should be for the future.
Budget Consultation
We want your views to help us shape our budget
Click here to access the consultation survey
Click here for our Budget Brochure (PDF - 6.85MB)
Translated Surveys:
Click here to read the survey translated into Arabic (PDF - 245kB)
Click here to read the survey translated into Cantonese (PDF - 386kB)
Click here to read the survey translated into Dari (PDF - 258kB)
Click here to read the survey translated into Latvian (PDF - 256kB)
Click here to read the survey translated into Lithuanian (PDF - 256kB)
Click here to read the survey translated into Polish (PDF - 258kB)
Click here to read the survey translated into Romanian (PDF - 255kB)
Foreword
Like all other authorities across the country, Mansfield District Council’s resources from Government have been falling significantly over the last 12 years.
To put the budget into perspective, the council receives 60 percent less funding from central government than 2010, £4.157m, compared to £10.36m back in 2010.
We have lost money due to the COVID-19 pandemic, inflationary pressures from the continuing cost-of-living crisis making service delivery more expensive. The council has tried not to pass the financial burden onto residents through an increase in its 8.55% of the Council Tax you pay for many years. However, now the council is at a crossroads where delivering services in the same way is no longer sustainable.
Along with changes to services and reviewing our assets, we will maximise income over the next four years by reviewing fees and charges and Council Tax.
In the past, we have continuously made efficiencies to deliver statutory services such as collecting refuse, keeping our streets clean and maintaining our housing stock and parks.
We have used your Council Tax to subsidise all our discretionary services. These are the services that we choose to deliver for our community alongside our statutory duty for housing, finance, and street cleansing. These include the events in the town centre and across the district; the Palace Theatre, the Museum, arts and education, the market and supporting our businesses and volunteers in the community.
Unfortunately, with a three-year budget deficit of £4.5m which has the potential to increase due to rising costs, inflation, pay awards and debt provision, it is no longer feasible for the council to continue all these discretionary services.
None of these choices are easy, but together, all your views and feedback will help inform our decisions during the budget setting process.
Thank you, and best wishes,
Executive Mayor Andy Abrahams
Mansfield District Council
About the council
Mansfield District Council provides a range of services to more than 110,000 residents, including emptying bins, park and green space maintenance, events, housing, environmental health, planning and design services, the theatre and museum, to name but a few.
The council has a vision for the district and the Making Mansfield Strategy sets out four priorities to focus on.
Our corporate ambition is to grow a confident and vibrant place. The Making Mansfield Strategy, our current corporate plan sets out four priorities to focus on.
Our priorities are:
Growth
We want to create a place for investment and opportunity through the development of infrastructure, embracing technology and encouraging investment in our district.
Aspiration
Mansfield needs to be a place where people can achieve and succeed in life. Confident communities are places where people can thrive along with access and opportunity to learn, develop and achieve.
Wellbeing
Mansfield should be a flourishing place where people live happy and healthy lives so we need to support an environment that is safe and healthy and support people to make choices to improve their wellbeing.
Place
We want Mansfield to be a place to be proud of, a place of choice. We’ll do this through communicating a positive image for Mansfield, improve the cultural experience and create a green infrastructure that enhances the quality of life for people living and working here.
The service plans that we deliver each year are directly linked to the outcomes identified in the strategies for Growth, Aspiration, Place and Wellbeing and our funding is allocated to those services.
We are proud to provide and support a huge range of services that enhance and improve the lives of people across our communities.
For regular news and updates from across the district, sign up to My Mansfield Newsletter and join us on My Mansfield Facebook page to get the latest information direct to your inbox or mobile.
Click here for our Easy read Budget Consultation Document (PDF - 120kB)