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Increasing costs and service demands

North Somerset’s funding gap is the result of

  • year-on-year cuts to our budget and;
  • an increase in the cost and demand for our services.  

Why demands and costs are rising

We have seen an increase in the number of older people needing social care support as well as adults with learning disabilities, people with mental health needs, families needing SEND services, and more children and young people also needing social care support. 

This means that, for every £100 the council has, £52 is now spent on children’s and adult’s services. These are vital services for some of our most vulnerable residents who require a high level of support and care. This means they can be costly and complex services to deliver, putting pressure on our budget.  

We have also seen the cost of service delivery increase often due to factors outside of our control, for example inflation and energy costs making things even more expensive.  

If demands and costs continue to rise

Whilst demand for our council services has risen along with costs, the government’s contribution towards their delivery has reduced.  

Coupled with year-on-year budget cuts and savings already made to balance previous years books, this raises our risk of filing for a Section 114.   

Government response

The government has recognised the severity of this situation. Many councils across the country are in similar circumstances. 

In the 2024 autumn statement, £1.3bn was announced for additional council funding. This money is intended to deliver essential services. An additional £600m was announced for social care and £230m to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping.  

We will be writing to the government to ensure we get a fair share of that funding. We need to safeguard our most vulnerable residents. We will be pushing for more investment into the wide range of services that our communities value.