COLCHESTER Council is to meet this evening to prepare swingeing budget cuts as it looks to shore up its finances ahead of next year.

In a meeting at the town hall’s grand jury room, the council cabinet will discuss a way forward as they look to make £4.6 million in savings for the 2023-24 financial year, which begins in April.

The cuts are a result of the cost-of-living crisis which has seen inflation rise to its highest rate since the Thatcher era.

And although the causes of the cost-of-living crisis – such as the war in Ukraine, the Covid-19 pandemic and Brexit – are well known, how these factors directly affect the services we get from the council is more complicated.

A document of more than 500 pages contains graphs, tables and forecasts which give an insight into the effects which these budget cuts are going to have – but which services are going to be changing, and how much more money are we going to be paying for what we already get?

Some 130 pages into the document is a table which lists 49 different ways in which the council will save £4.6million, with its overall funding deficit lying around the £5 milllion mark.

For example, a freeze in recruitment will save the council £500,000.

Charging for garden waste collections will save the council £100,000.

Reducing the contact and support service, whereby residents can get in touch with the council regarding with questions or complaints, will save the council £100,000.

Allowing council staff to reduce their working hours will save the council £50,000.

These are just a fraction of the cuts which the council is looking at introducing heading into the next financial year as it looks to avoid a situation involving redundancies and complete service closures.

As unpalatable as that may seem, it is a very real case with some local authorities – Thurrock Council confirmed last month it was unable to balance its budget and has a funding deficit sitting at £469 million.

Colchester’s plight does not seem as severe when compared to such an extreme case, but it shows just what could happen if cuts are simply kicked into the long grass.

Though the council’s facing of a budget deficit is not unique to Colchester, it doesn’t necessarily make the cuts more palatable.

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When quizzed about the reduction in services likely to be introduced, however, council leader David King said the situation has left the local authority with no choice.

A three per cent rise in council tax, which means Colchester residents will be paying an extra £6.12 each year - on top of the demands from Essex County Council and the Essex Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner -  will come into force.

Garden waste collections, which are a discretionary service offered by the council, will come at a cost which has not yet been released.

Mr King said: “Our promise is to provide what matters most to residents, and to look after the most vulnerable – we wouldn’t want to touch our core services and we don’t want to close leisure and sport.”

Leisure and sport is an apt topic given that Leisure World is operating at a loss according to council files and it may be that the facility appoints an energy manager so it can reduce its energy consumption.

As for charging for garden waste collections, Mr King reckons this will be implemented by local authorities across the county.

“We think every other council in Essex will do this – the reason we would charge is so we can fully preserve the waste service and protect others.

“To generate the same saving in sport and leisure, we would have to shut Leisure World – that’s not a decision we would need to make.”

Although Mr King admits there will be some pushback in response to people having to pay for a service they once received for free, the council leader has asked for a degree of understanding.

He added: “I think there will be mixed feelings which will depend on people’s circumstances we will get a mixed view to ever change people make.

“I hope the silent majority will understand that if you want to have essential services, it means you have to raise some income and run ourselves as efficiently as possible – I do think there will be a lot of understanding.”

He added: “We want to strike a balance [because] it’s their money.

“It’s entirely understandable that people should say ‘I don’t want to give anymore’ – we agree with that, and people should keep their money if they can.

“We are not in the business of changes without walking them through with those who might be affected.”

Politics at any level, be it national, regional, or local, is not for the faint of heart, and decisions made by our councillors affect people more than many of us realise.