We want your help to shape our budget
In January 2025, Mansfield District Council will meet to agree its budget for 2025/2026. 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.
Introduction
In January 2025, Mansfield District Council will meet to agree its annual budget for 2025/2026.
In anticipation of this, we are undertaking an annual high-level review to understand what services are important to residents and alternatives to help bridge our anticipated shortfall in the budget.
We are asking residents, businesses and wider stakeholders for their views on proposals for the next financial year (2025-2026), with a specific focus on efficiencies and savings. This feedback will be used throughout the budget setting process, which will go through our Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Corporate) in the autumn, followed by approval by Full Council in early 2025.
We used your feedback and views from last year’s consultation to shape this current financial year’s savings. Some of your requests included scaling back our events programme, cutting gift in aid, and increasing our precept of Council Tax. Your views are so important in not only shaping how we deliver our services, but to ensure we provide what is important to you during these challenging financial times.
We are continuing to do all we can to mitigate and reduce pressures on our budget, whilst changing the way we deliver services to ensure they remain efficient for the months and years to come. This is why we are now annually asking for your views on our financial budget. It will not only shape our delivery but also ensure we have accurate and timely information yearly to deliver for you.
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 £3 million. 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.
This consultation booklet sets out where our money comes from, how we currently spend it and links to a consultation exercise that suggests ways we could meet this budget gap. Now is your chance to help shape the future of our services.
We encourage you to read all the information before having your say.
View our Easy read Budget Consultation Document
Budget Consultation
We want your views to help us shape our budget
Access the consultation survey
Translated Surveys:
Read the survey translated into Arabic (PDF - 245kB)
Read the survey translated into Cantonese (PDF - 386kB)
Read the survey translated into Dari (PDF - 258kB)
Read the survey translated into Latvian (PDF - 256kB)
Read the survey translated into Lithuanian (PDF - 256kB)
Read the survey translated into Polish (PDF - 258kB)
Read the survey translated into Romanian (PDF - 255kB)
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 Towards 2030: A Strategy for Mansfield sets out five priorities to focus on.
Our priorities are:
Our communities
The ambition: Our communities are supported to live safe, healthy and happy lives.
Our organisation
The ambition: Our communities benefit from a resilient, financially sound and well run council working in partnership.
Our district
Our ambition: Our communities are proud of the district and promote it as a great place to live, work and visit.
Our environment
Our ambition: Our communities are protected and benefit from measures to tackle the impact of climate change.
Our economy
Our ambition: Our communities benefit from employment opportunities, skills development and investment.
Dealing with uncertainty has been a consistent feature of the last few years, and we know it will be a feature of the future. We know it will face new challenges and will need to change to respond to those challenges.
This refreshed strategy therefore sets out how we will respond to those uncertainties and address the challenges we face both as a council and as a district. It sets out our renewed vision, ambitions and the priorities the council will focus on going forward.
The full strategy is available to view at www.mansfield.gov.uk/strategy.
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