CONTROVERSIAL plans to cut funding for adult social care and fly-tipping clean-ups, and to raise parking fees at War Memorial Car Park, have been abandoned by Coventry City Council (CCC).
The council says not all of the cutbacks outlined in its budget plans for 2025-26 would be necessary, after receiving ‘a better than expected funding package from the government’.
It follows widespread opposition to the cuts, as voiced in popular petitions submitted by opposition councillors.
The move was welcomed by 12 voluntary sector organisations in Coventry which would have been hit by plans to almost halve the £1.5million Voluntary Sector Preventative Support Grant.
They include charity Grapevine, whose budget for its Help and Connect service for people with learning disabilities would have been slashed by 45 per cent.
CEO Clare Wightman said: “We are thrilled with the news. We want to thank Coventry City Council for listening to our concerns, those of other professionals and crucially, people and their families who would have been most affected by this cut.
Grapevine CEO Clare Wightman was ‘thrilled’ at the news.
“We acknowledge the council is in a difficult position, needing to make savings in order to deliver a balanced budget for the coming year.
“But they have fully taken on board what we’ve said about the potential impact of this cut and made the right decision for everyone.
“We’re extremely pleased to have saved this grant for voluntary sector services that, in our case, helps prevent people from being exploited, scammed, abused, experiencing avoidable ill health and much more.
“We’re looking forward to supporting people in the same way we always were now and in the future – getting them out of crisis, helping them become less isolated and ultimately have a better life.
“Thank you to everyone who has helped our campaign reach far and wide and have an impact on the council’s final decision.
“We don’t want people and their families to have to worry there is no support out there for them and we hope this level of grant from the council will continue – not just for this year but for future years too.”
Other proposed cuts which will no longer go ahead include changes to the Council Tax Support Scheme and reductions in funding to parks and open spaces.
Coun Richard Brown, CCC’s Finance and Resources spokesperson, said: “I have always said that we should hope for the best but prepare for the worst and the settlement from the government is better than expected.
“We have always been very careful with our financial management, and ongoing work has put us in a better financial position than many other local councils. It means that many of the savings identified won’t be needed, which I’m really pleased about.
“We’ve listened to the consultation feedback from the public and stakeholders and have identified areas that we are recommending should not now be included in the budget setting process.
“At the same time, looking at the years ahead, the same challenges are still here. A combination of higher demand on services, inflation, and historical underfunding leaves us still well below the national average of government funding compared to other councils.”
He said the council would still have to increase Council Tax to achieve a balanced budget, adding: “This is an expectation that the government places on all local authorities. In future years I hope that reforms to the Council Tax system can be introduced that reduce the burden on local residents.
“The additional money we are receiving is welcome and it is good to know that the new government is listening to what we have been saying and the lobbying we have been doing on a fairer funding deal for local authorities for the last two years is being heard.
“That work will continue because if the city received the national average, then we’d have an additional £17million for our services for the residents in the city and we would be talking about investment in services rather than savings.
“We are not asking for special treatment but just that funding more accurately reflects the levels of need, demand and deprivation the city has overall.”
The council also announced a £2.2million one-off investment to boost services covering highways, street cleansing, community safety and community events.
CCC is also investing £10million in new LED streetlights which it says will eventually be kept on overnight due to energy efficiency savings.
The council is also proposing to set aside more than £2million in one-off funding to improve services, including £700,000 extra for road and pavement defects and £500,000 for tackling fly-tipping.
The decisions will be considered at the full council meeting on Tuesday (February 25) before a final decision is made.
