Crime and climate among council's budget priorities

CCTV monitoring will be expanded and more community safety officers will be deployed across Derby as part of the city council's budget measures.

The measures are part of what leaders are calling a "positive" budget, with the city council in a position to invest more substantially than in recent years.

This is largely due to Derby having benefited from the government's new funding formula for local councils, which prioritises factors such as high deprivation levels and low council tax income in determining how much money is allocated.

The Labour-led authority however still plans to raise council tax by the maximum 4.99% for local residents and needs to cut costs by almost £8m this year.

More support will be available for those who struggle to pay for the tax through broadening out who qualifies for Derby's Council Tax Support Scheme.

Unlike previous years, there will be no job losses as part of the budget. The city will instead increase its staffing roles in both frontline and backroom areas.

Whilst facing ongoing financial pressures of about £42m in the coming years, the council has about £14m of what officers have called "added value" to spend on investment for services they are not legally obliged to provide but are nevertheless considered a priority.

These have focused on public safety in particular after a spout of recent crime incidents in the city.

The Derby South MP Baggy Shanker warned in Parliament this week that some people in the city were frightened to go out because of anti-social behaviour.

The budget plans include almost £100,000 for extra CCTV monitoring across the city, and almost £500,000 over the next two years on other safety initiatives such as an additional neighbourhood officer for the city centre and serious violence prevention campaigns.

About £300,000 over the next few years will be spent on additional staff focusing on safety in the city centre, though the exact number is to be confirmed.

Roughly £500,000 will also be spent over the next few years on two new public protection officers and an additional vehicle to respond to complaints about bins on streets.

Two new roles will also be created focusing on climate change, with £130,000 set aside for a new "energy efficiency officer" along with "green technology and renewable energy officer" over the next financial year.

An additional £50,000 has also been set aside this financial year for "extreme weather response", which is understood to be a boost in gritting capacity following a BBC investigation.

"The recommended budget presents a balanced position across the three-year financial planning period," the budget report notes.

"This represents a significant improvement on the £12.923m budget gap reported in December and reflects the impact of ongoing efficiency measures, alongside the recognition of Derby's historic underfunding, now addressed in the Local Government Provisional Settlement."

The council has an overall budget of roughly £400m.

The bulk of the council's budget pressures are in adult social and children's care, special educational needs and the use of temporary accommodation to house homelessness.

Officers believe that the special educational needs deficit could reach about £34m over the next few years.

It is also hoped that roughly £1m of the £8m savings will come from Artificial Intelligence (AI) through the council's ongoing drive to boost efficiency with technological advances.

According to leaders, the council has identified 150 ways AI can reduce its costs which will be implemented gradually.

The council's Labour leader Nadine Peatfield said the government's funding reforms had made a "huge difference", with Derby among the top five financial beneficiaries when grouped together with similar councils across England.

"Since 2010, the Council has been forced to deliver savings of £260m so to be able to now make such significant investments into our communities is fantastic," she said.

"Our proposed investments include more PPOs and city centre CCTV, weeding, clearing wet leaves and tackling bins on streets - things that will make a real difference to residents as soon as they walk out of their front doors."

The budget will need to be agreed at a meeting of full council at the end of the month.

Last year, the Labour-led minority administration failed to pass proposals for a maximum council tax increase, and was forced to amend its plans.

The leader of the Derby Conservatives Steve Hassall told the BBC that the assumption of a maximum council tax hike for this upcoming financial year was "both insulting and arrogant".

Follow BBC Derby on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected] or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210.