Hampshire County Council decides on new wave of cost-cutting measures to fill £175m gap in finances
Hampshire County Council cabinet members have rejected plans to close 12 tips after long-standing public opposition.
They have also delayed deciding on plans to save £114,000 by axing 17 school crossing patrols until further assessments are carried out.
The decision was made at a crucial cabinet meeting, where the council decided on the future of vital services.
County leader Nick Adams-King said: “We need to focus upon those people who need our support the most, and that is the purpose of looking at these savings.”
He added that by approving the 13 proposals, the council met 50 per cent of the £175m it needed to balance the budget in 2025/26.
“The work will now continue to examine other ways of bridging that gap,” he said.
“I think it’s important to remember that £175 million isn’t just a one-off; that’s not just next year; it’s the following year and the year after that as well. It is a recurring gap that we would have unless we can deal with it.
“So we go forward with looking at ways by which we can innovate better. We can use our estate and be more commercial in what we do, and we can transform the way in which we operate and make savings that way, that’s a piece of work that has been ongoing for some months now and will continue to be carried out as we approach the budgeting in February.
“But what I can say is that as we look at those different savings it’s my intention that we shouldn’t need to look at savings of the type where they impact the public in the way that we’ve looked at today.
“Our ask for the government is not to give us more money. It’s to provide us with the changes in legislation and the different ways of working in which we can become sustainable ourselves.”
The 13 proposals are as follows:
A reduction of £7.5m in the annual highway maintenance budget from April 2025.
A reduction of the annual budget for highways winter services by £1m.
The removal of the passenger transport funding of a value of £587,000.
Taxi-share services saving £157,000 per annum.
Supported local bus services saving £262,000 per annum.
Other passenger transport savings £168,000 per annum.
Cabinet agrees to defer the decision to save £114,000m from the 17 sites that do not meet the criteria for justifying a school crossing patrol until further detailed site assessments have been carried out.
A total of 156 SCP sites will be reviewed to assess whether suitable alternative measures that are financially viable could be put in place.
The implementation of charging at rural countryside car parking sites wholly owned by the council with 20 or more spaces where commercially viable from April 2025.
The removal of up to £500,00 budget provision for street lighting.
On residential streets where streetlights are already switched off between 1am and 4am, this period is extended by two hours per night so that lights are switched off from midnight until 5am, excluding Christmas Eve and New Years Eve.
Reduce lighting levels in residential streets between 11.30pm to midnight and 5am to 5.30am, and reduce lighting levels on the classified road network.
Cabinet requested household waste recycling centres be included in the country-wide review of waste and recycling and be reported to Cabinet once the revised Simpler Recycling process has been implemented.
Withdraw three competitive grant schemes which provide one-off funding grants to a range of community groups and organisations, parish and town councils, totalling £481,000.
Reduce the annual grant to Hampshire Cultural Trust by £600,000 from April 1, 2027.
The County Council will not end the homelessness grant in April 2025 as previously proposed.
Instead, the funding will end at the same time as the contract in April 2026. It will give six months’ notice to terminate the six contracts and three grant agreements.
Any person using who would be impacted by the measure now or in the future will have access to a Care Act Assessment.
To take into account 100 per cent of an individual’s assessable income when carrying out a financial assessment for care other than in a care home and amend the ‘Paying for Care Policy’ from April 2025.
To cease the Councils for Voluntary Service Infrastructure Grant scheme from April 1, 2025, saving £500,000 per year from the associated budget.
To cease the Citizens Advice Infrastructure grant scheme from April 1, 2025, saving £65,000 per year from the associated budget.
To cease the Local Solutions Grant scheme from April 1, 2025, saving £55,000 per year from the associated budget.
To reduce library stock spend by £250,000 per annum focusing on priorities, identified by residents and users from feedback through the Future Services Consultation.
