Carlisle City Council set its budget for 2022/23 last night at a Special Full Council meeting.
The budget included no increase in the City Council’s portion of the overall Council Tax bill, free parking in council car parks on weekends and Bank Holidays, cutting the cost of parking to £1 for the first hour and investing an extra £250,000 on play area improvements in the city plus £20,000 to help combat anti-social behaviour in the city centre.
Councillor Gareth Ellis, Portfolio holder for Finance, Governance and Resources proposed the Executive’s budget. The Leader of the Council, Cllr John Mallinson seconded it.
The council has successfully achieved or identified over £9 million in transformational savings since 2010/11 and now have a solid financial base in order to set their 2022/23 budget. There are no in-year savings required for 2022/23; although there is a continued savings requirement to be found by 2023/24 of £2.050 million.
Leader of Carlisle City Council, Cllr John Mallinson, said: “Our budget continues the focus on the priorities of the council: Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal, St Cuthbert’s Garden Village and the Sands Centre Redevelopment. It is a sensible budget that puts this council in a good position as we move towards local government reorganisation in 2023.
“We have included a council tax freeze on our portion of the overall council tax bill as we want to do all we can to support our local residents during extremely challenging times.”
Deputy Leader of Carlisle City Council, Cllr Gareth Ellis, added: “This is a budget to get Carlisle moving – a freeze on council tax, free weekend and bank holiday parking and on other days, a reduction in car parking charges in our car parks for the first hour. Combined with record investment in play areas, and £130 million of government funds coming directly into the city centre, we are confident that Carlisle will come out of COVID-19 stronger and more prosperous than it went in.”
Cllr Ellis went on to explain how the free parking would bring other benefits “Because we won’t need to enforce car parking at weekends, the staff can be deployed out of the car parks onto the streets and parks of the city enforcing rules on litter, dog fouling and vandalism,” he added.
A copy of the budget is available at http://www.carlisle.gov.uk/Council/Council-and-Democracy/Budget
