Devon County Council approves budget and council tax increase

Council tax for an average Band D home will rise

Devon County Council has agreed a 4.99% increase in council tax for the coming financial year.

The full council approved the Conservative administration's budget for 2024/25.

The proposed budget, which increases spending on children services by 10% and social care by 6%, was approved by 34 votes to 14.

Revenue spending will increase by £43m to £743m in 2024/25.

Finance leaders said the budget would "steer the council out of dangerous waters."

Council tax for an average Band D home will rise by £81.54 to £1,715.67 - an extra £1.56 a week.

The 4.99% rise is the maximum a local authority can increase without holding a referendum and includes a 2% rise for adult social care.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), the budget includes extra funds for road drainage and the council will be able to continue supporting district councils and other organisations on homelessness for another year.

"Pothole capital"

Leader of the Liberal Democrat group, Councillor Caroline Leaver, said Devon was the "pothole capital of the country".

She said this could be addressed by reducing the budget for councillor and staff transport, with more virtual meetings and home working, having fewer agency staff and making efficiencies in corporate services.

Independent group leader Frank Biederman said it wasn't right there was £213 less for educating each child in Devon than the national average.

He said when you took the SEND overspend into account the council is "effectively bankrupt".

"We need to reduce our managers, we have a CEO and a deputy, nine directors of service and countless managers before we get to the people that deliver the services and why do we need 28 spin doctors doing our communications.

"We have 60 councillors who talk to their communities", he said.

Amendments by the Liberal Democrats, and Independent and Green groups to cut bureaucracy and jobs in corporate services and communications to free up to £2.6m for road safety measures and community libraries were not supported.

Conservative leader of the council John Hart said the amendments, which were also supported by Labour, were nothing more than a "hatchett job" on staff.

"I would love to spend more on highways, and we will do that if we have any spare money, but at the moment we have to look after our young, old and vulnerable," he said.