Budget Consultation 2023

Residents and businesses are invited to have their say on the Council's spending priorities for the next year.

The Council’s finances have recovered well since the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2022/2023 we set a balanced budget, and overall income and expenditure for the year were within budget. Your feedback from the last survey was fed into the budget process and we managed to set a balanced budget for the current financial year, 2023/24.

Looking further ahead, the financial outlook for Maidstone Borough Council (MBC) is uncertain. Inflation remains high, and this affects what we pay for the services we deliver to residents. At the same time, we are limited in the ways we can raise money to cover our costs. We also plan to fund an ambitious capital programme, which includes delivery of 1,000 new affordable homes in the borough.

This means that we may have to make some difficult decisions in the near future, so we can set a balanced budget for 2024/25. Before we do this, we would like to hear your views on:

• Spending priorities
• Use of Services
• Living in Maidstone

Your views are important to us, as they help councillors make decisions about how best to spend the Council’s money, and how we can raise money in the first place.

How can you get involved?

1. Complete our short survey on spending priorities and the Council's budget for 2023/24.

Survey takes about 3 to 6 minutes to complete.

2. Leave a comments about MBC's Budget and spending for 2023/24.

Budget Consultation 2023 closes: 28 August 2023.

What happens next

Your responses will be considered by Councillors at Committee meetings taking place over the next couple of months before the budget is debated by Full Council 21 February 2024.