An opposition party will be presenting an alternative budget to Herefordshire Council for the first time in 17 years.
It’s Our County are proposing an additional £2m worth of investment as part of their budget for the next financial year.
The budget is largely in line with the administration’s proposals which feature council tax increases of 4.9%, which includes a 2% adult social care precept, and commitments to deliver £3.9m worth of savings.
The proposals, which have now been through the adults and wellbeing, children and young people and general scrutiny committees, will be presented to full council next week.
The IOC budget would source the funding from additional income for the year from the rural services delivery grant, business rates, council tax base, new homes bonus and other grants.
Among its key principles are providing support for local communities, respond to global and local trends in environmental and demographic pressures and to work more closely with the city, market towns and parish councils.
Councillor Anthony Powers said: “It feels like the additional £2m we have proposed spending has had more scrutiny than the entire budget the administration has put forward.
“This alternative budget puts forward our intention of travel for the council.”
IOC proposes to invest £250,000 in strategic planning resource to bring forward the council’s revision of the core strategy and local plan to start immediately after the local government elections in May.
The group also wants to invest £100,000 to start work on identifying and protecting a land corridor for an eastern city river crossing.
Working with Highways England to improve signage for traffic along the A49, investing in school travel plans and extending access to school and public transport are another three initiatives which they wish to invest £100,000 in each.
IOC also proposes that the council should work with city and market towns to agree on how to spend the net revenue from car parking charges.
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