THE CITY council has been forced to make a “best guess” on the money it receives from central government in order to produce its budget.

The authority has set out a range of options that will save money, or generate income, to address the shortfall in the council’s budget as a result of cuts in national grants to local authorities.

Cllr Neil Cutler, cabinet lead for finance and risk, said: “We no longer get a central government grant, that ended last year. We have formed the budgets around the messages that had been coming out.”

Civic chiefs have factored in the removal of the new homes bonus and changes to be made to the business rates that is able to retain.

“All that leaves us making the best guess on that basis.”

The council has a projected shortfall of nearly £16 million over the next four years, mainly due to cuts in central government funding. The council has already identified significant operational savings which will total £9 million over this period, but further action is required to close the remaining gap of almost £7 million.

“It is imperative we look forward and prepare for it,” Cllr Neil said.

It is hoped that £1.6million will be able to be saved in the next year, going up to £3million in the following.

In September the council ran a budget simulator which gave local people the opportunity to make spending choices to balance the council’s budget online. This showed general support for increases in charges to support the delivery of essential services.

Outline budget proposals were considered by the council’s cabinet in October and responses from the current consultation will be debated early next year, before the budget is set in February 2020. Not all of the proposals included in the consultation will be adopted.

Among the ideas being considered are increase in car parking charges, the closure of some public toilets,land sales, charging for green waste collection and a review of CCTV.

Leader Cllr Lucille Thompson said: “This is not a plan that will sit on the shelf cone it is approved.”

She added that the council’s priorities are “all about ensuring residents lives”,.

And Cllr Cutler said: “Winchester City Council faces a significant shortfall in its budget over the next three years due to cuts in national grants. We have already made savings through efficiency measures, but the council must now find more money to balance our budget in a responsible manner. This means making difficult choices in order to rise to this financial challenge, whilst continuing to deliver services to our communities and our commitments on reducing carbon emissions.

“Our administration is committed to engage local people about decisions that affect our district. Our budget simulator gave us an initial feedback and we are now asking for views on a list of potential financial choices, before the budget is set at full council in February.”

To have your say, go to https://winchester.citizenspace.com/policy/wcc-budget-consultation by January 13.