Hikes to council tax and new charges for car parking — alongside £10m of cuts and savings — are all on the cards as Bath and North East Somerset Council urgently looks for the millions needed to balance its budget.

The council has to set a balanced budget for the next financial year in February but it warned in November that it was facing an "extremely challenging" budget black hole. Now the council says it has identified £16.82m of savings and additional income — but these could mean major changes for people in the area.

Council tax is again proposed to rise by the maximum amount allowed, free parking could end in Midsomer Norton and Radstock, and the opening hours of the recycling centres in Bath and Midsomer Norton could be cut back.

A raft of savings are also planned across adults and children's services, and other areas of council spending. A public consultation on the proposals will run until January 15.

Mark Elliott, the council's cabinet member for resources, said the council had managed its finances "with caution" and avoided making risky investments, but he warned that there had been "a perfect storm of inadequate government funding, high inflation and increases in demand for services, particularly in children's social care."

He said: "We have had to dig really deep this year to bring forward a package which balances the budget and meets the day-to-day spending we need to deliver key frontline services.

"We've needed to focus on maintaining our statutory services and so the consultation proposals are wide-ranging, and if adopted in February they would have an impact on our residents and also on some of our valued third-sector organisations."

The council is aiming to bring in additional income of £6.51m, while also making cuts and savings of £10.31m. Most of the new income will come from heritage services, such as the Roman Baths, with the council's business plan projecting that these assets will raise an extra £4.27m.

But the proposals will also see council tax again rise by 4.99% — the maximum increase allowed without a local referendum. Two percentage points of this increase will be added to the adult social care precept, a ring fenced tax which can only be spent on adult social care.

People will also need to pay for the currently free parking in Midsomer Norton and Radstock, with pricing based on emissions as it is in Bath. Emissions based parking will also be rolled out to Keynsham and all areas in Bath that do not currently have it, including off street parking.

The council will be reviewing prices of parking and all highways services, and requiring motorbikes to have permits to park in residents parking zones. In total, the council is looking to make an additional £1.25m from parking and highways.

Meanwhile, £802k could be cut from the council's community support contracts across its social care provision. The council says that the available funding will be targeted effectively at the greatest need, but that less will be spent on non-statutory preventative services.

The council is writing to organisations delivering these services directly to keep them informed. £250k will also be cut from discretionary areas of spending on children's services, such as family support, with the council also planning to make savings by increasing in house provision.

Mr Elliott said: "We are very concerned about the potential impacts of these reductions in our community support contracts, particularly on preventative services.

"I am afraid, though, that we are now in a position where we have to consider savings in these areas due to the cumulative effect of over a decade of government funding cuts to councils and a completely inadequate government response to the huge pressures in social care.

"The position we are now in has been faced by many councils over recent years. We do not want to be considering these savings, but the reality is that the council has no separate funding stream for them, and they are not all services we are required to provide.

"We are acutely aware of the risk that a decrease in funding for preventative services may create a budget pressure for statutory services in the future and will work with partners to minimise this. We want to address these savings forensically.

"We have to focus our spend on the greatest need and on prioritising the statutory provision laid down by central government.

"At this early stage in the review I am undertaking to keep our third sector providers informed and to listen to them closely as part of this budget consultation before any decisions are taken in February."

The proposed savings will be discussed at council scrutiny panels on January 11, 15, and 23 before going before the council cabinet on February 8.

The budget will then go for a vote at a full meeting of Bath and North East Somerset Council on February 20.

The public consultation on the plans will run until 5pm on January 15.

Mr Elliot said: "I am keen to hear what people think about what we are proposing before the budget is decided. For example, while we are fortunate in being able to raise additional income from our attractions such as the Roman Baths, to help us maintain frontline services, this is no longer enough to close the gap. So, we have had to put forward some increases in income, such as from parking, that not everyone will like, but I at least hope will understand." 

You can have your say in the consultation here: https://beta.bathnes.gov.uk/budget-consultation-2024-2025