00:00Bristol residents will see their council tax bills rise by just under 5%
00:05after councillors approved the authority's annual budget.
00:09For households across Bristol, the decision means higher bills from the new financial year.
00:14Councillors have confirmed a 4.99% increase in council tax,
00:20made up of 2.99% for core spending and 2% specifically for adult social care.
00:26For a band D property, that's an increase of £129.79,
00:32bringing the annual total to £2,713.68.
00:39Every year the council has a legal responsibility to set a balanced budget,
00:44and I'm proud to bring to this committee, for council, a balanced budget.
00:50But a balanced budget is much more about numbers.
00:53A balanced budget is about delivering for the people of Bristol,
00:58it's about investing in the services that we need to invest in,
01:01and it's about providing a sustainable way forward.
01:05The overall budget sets out £634 million for day-to-day services,
01:11alongside £232 million for capital investment in projects such as housing, bridges and schools.
01:18The Green-led administration's plans were approved by 42 votes to 26,
01:23with Liberal Democrats supporting the budget and Labour and Conservative councillors voting against.
01:28Council leader Tony Dyer says the package creates a stable financial position,
01:33while targeting investment where it's most needed.
01:36He says priorities include bin collections, road maintenance, street cleansing,
01:41high-quality social care and support for schools.
01:43The budget also includes nearly £41 million in savings.
01:47Following public consultation, the council confirmed funding of £270,000
01:53to reopen public toilets and reverse proposed cuts to cultural groups.
01:59One of the positives that the new government has brought in was the commitment to a multi-year settlement,
02:03and that's multi-year settlement as efforts to plan ahead.
02:09But that multi-year settlement for the next few years gives us an expectation
02:13of what we are likely to get in our local government financial settlement.
02:20What it doesn't provide at the moment is what additional increase in costs we will have to face over the
02:28next few years.
02:29So all through this budget, if passed and approved, will balance us for 26, 27.
02:37We cannot guarantee that the budget will be balanced the year after that.
02:41Liberal Democrat leader Joss Clarke warned the council must find £40 million in savings next year,
02:48rising to £70 million by 2030 to 2031.
02:52Conservative leader Mark Weston said more should be spent on roads, parks and suburban communities.
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