Surrey County Council is asking residents for their views ahead of setting the 2021/22 council budget.
A draft budget in November shows that the council's finances are in a strong position despite the impact of COVID19 in 2020, but with an uncertain future it's important that the right decisions are made now.
How much do we spend on services?
The council spends around £885m a year of Council Tax and business rates receipts, as well as other government grants that are for specific services.
- Most of the council's money - around 70 per cent - is spent on supporting and protecting vulnerable adults and children.
- We spend more than £1m every single day on Adult Social Care and over £0.5m a day on Children's Services.
- The rest of our day-to-day spending is for other services such as waste and countryside management, libraries and trading standards.
How does the council set a budget?
When we set a budget, we consider a number of things such as certainty of income and where services need to be more efficient. Overall, the most important thing for us is to put the needs of Surrey's residents first, particularly those of the most vulnerable, to ensure no one is left behind.
2020 capital programme – making it happen
In addition to day-to-day spending, the ambitious capital programme of spending we set out in 2020 will continue and has become even more important in ensuring our county and communities can thrive over the coming years of recovery.
More than £1.5bn will be spent on:
- your Fund Surrey to strengthen communities and give residents more power and influence
- tackling climate change and green infrastructure to deliver a greener and more sustainable future
- schools and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities provision to ensure our children can overcome this year's disruption and get the best possible start in life
- highways to boost active travel and make getting around the county smoother
- flood alleviation to protect tens of thousands of homes and businesses from further disaster and give future security and peace of mind
- extra care sites to ensure our elderly residents can keep independence for longer and grow old safely and with dignity.
Have your say
Learn more about how the council spends its money, and give your views on what areas should be a priority, by taking our online budget survey.
