A message from Cllr Kevin Guy, Leader of Bath & North East Somerset CouncilYou will have seen councils up and down the country reporting on the budget pressures they face, many of which are driven by increasing demands on their Children’s Services. It is no different for us.The cost of residential placements, home to school transport and support for children and young people with complex needs, continue to put a significant strain on our budgets.
Placement pressures, due to a mix of increased demand, especially around residential, unaccompanied asylum seeker children (UASC), the increased needs of our children and young people, plus the costs of complex packages of care to support those with the highest needs, are all contributing factors.
Some of the announcements we heard from the Chancellor in the recent budget are a step in the right direction, with increased central government funding for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). However, it is increasingly recognised that across local government these rising costs are not sustainable and we need long-term solutions.
Before becoming council leader, I held the children’s services portfolio in the cabinet, so I am very much aware of the excellent work our council teams carry out to support our children and young people, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank our staff and partners for all their work on this.
A finance report going to cabinet next Thursday sets out the impact these rising costs are having on the council’s finances and more importantly what we are doing to mitigate them to ensure our budget is balanced. Already more than £4m has been identified to reduce a £5.45m over-budget forecast. I will report back on the work we are undertaking to bring the council back into a balanced position.
Next week the cabinet will also consider an ambitious plan which sets out a clear vision for the future of Bath’s unique heritage as a twice-inscribed UNESCO World Heritage Site. World Heritage Sites (WHS) are inscribed and overseen by UNESCO which requires each site to produce a management plan, renewed every six years. I want to thank the City of Bath UNESCO World Heritage Site Advisory Board, which has been instrumental in preparing the draft management plan. It seeks to balance the need to protect our unique heritage alongside the need for sustainable development.
At the start of the week, I had the great pleasure of meeting Ian Cowie, Bath Poppy Appeal organiser and volunteer Wendy Mathis (pictured), who along with many other volunteers are doing tremendous work raising funds for The Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal – an organisation, which as a veteran, is close to my heart.
The volunteer team is temporarily based in 4 Chapel Row thanks to TSL Accounting which has provided the unit rent free as a retail and volunteer coordination space – thank you to Samantha Parsons (pictured) and team from TSL Accounting.
I would like to finish this week’s message in remembrance of those who have lost their lives to ensure we are all able to live our own lives in a free and democratic society. In the fields of Europe today as you read this message brave young souls in Ukraine are giving their lives in defence of democracy. That is why this weekend’s Remembrance events, which are taking place across Bath and North East Somerset, are so very important. Freedom and democracy cannot be taken for granted, so please take time to reflect on the ultimate sacrifice so many young men and women made so we can live in a tolerant and free world.
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning. We will remember them. | 
