Eastbourne Borough Council agrees annual budget including rise in its share of council tax bill

The increase, which equates to an extra £7.83 on Band D household’s annual bill, was agreed as part of the authority’s annual budget at a full council meeting on Wednesday (February 22).

The full budget relies on the council finding £2.1m of savings and additional income in 2023/24, although Cllr Steve Holt, Liberal Democrat cabinet member for finance, said this would not come in the form of cuts to frontline services.

Cllr Holt said: “In brief, this is a measured budget, with no cuts to frontline services and with the best value for our residents in mind.

“A budget that is investing in providing much-needed affordable housing, continues to support our tourism and business community, helps our most vulnerable during this cost-of-living crisis and, most importantly and as always, places our residents needs at the heart of this council.”

While ultimately passed, the budget saw criticism from the council’s Conservative group, which called for the implementation of a recommendation arising from the 2021 Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) review of the authority’s finances.

This review had been carried out as a condition of the exceptional finance support the council received during Covid.

The Conservative amendment called on the council “to reduce external debt through receipts from a more realistic approach to capital disposals as recommended by the CIPFA External Financial Review.”

Cllr Ksharma Shore, the Conservative group’s shadow cabinet member for finance, said: “This administration has mismanaged its investments, they have overextended their borrowing, they have presided over neglect of heritage sites and failed to collect overdue council and business tax and even benefits we are overpaying.”

She added: “CIPFA reported that the council will need to go to a more sustainable approach to its financial position overall, that they need to carry out responsible asset disposal and replenish its depleted reserves.

“Does this proposed budget do that? We contend that it does not.”

The amendment saw criticism from Liberal Democrats, however, who argued that following CIPFA’s recommendations in full would result in the sale of the council’s farmland holdings — something which has proven to be a controversial prospect in the past.