Three Rivers District Council is currently consulting on some of the budget options it has to achieve a balanced budget over the next 3 years. Over the past few years, all councils have seen cuts in their financial support from central government. Since 2010, Three Rivers has seen its grant from central government cut by over £3 million. Over the next three years, funding will be cut again by a further £1.4 million.

THIS HAS NOW CLOSED. RESULTS WILL BE PUBLISHED IN FEBRUARY.

Over the last decade, Three Rivers has made almost £4million of efficiency savings. This has mainly been achieved by sharing administration costs and back-office services with other councils and public bodies, cutting the number of councillors and councillors’ allowances, and reducing bureaucracy. The council has done this whilst keeping its part of the council tax paid by each household lower than that charged 10 years ago.

This year a further £450,000 needs to be saved to balance the council’s budget. This could be achieved through cutting services, increasing charges, or finding new ways to run services that will reduce day to day running costs. It’s not an easy task to find a balance between raising income and cutting services, and we want to continue to provide the quality services that have made Three Rivers the best-rated council in Hertfordshire by residents for the past three years.

If we can find enough savings or extra income, we could also increase services in areas prioritised by residents, including leisure, parking, or fighting anti-social behaviour. We would like to understand the different views of local residents on the options. This consultation asks residents to choose options to balance the budget. Of course, if you want to spend more on some things, you will need to make bigger cuts or raise more income from other activities.

There are lots of different possibilities for balancing the budget. The council will analyse the results and look at the different impact of options on different parts of the community before reaching a final budget that works as a whole.