You'll be aware that we currently have a number of cost saving measures in place to help tackle our forecast overspend of £33 million for 2023-24. In addition, we've predicted that we have a shortfall of £39.5 million in our budget for the year ahead.
Unfortunately, we have no choice but to consider making savings by changing, reducing or stopping some of the services we provide. To enable us to maintain a balanced budget for 2024-25, each department has been exploring options for savings and efficiencies which have been carefully reviewed at a senior level.
These proposals are included in a report that will be considered by Cabinet on Thursday 11 January 2024. They will be then subject to our scrutiny process later this month before being considered further by Cabinet.
Each proposal will follow its own timescale depending on the service under review, with consultation taking place as appropriate. You, along with the public and other groups affected, will be invited to take part in any engagement or consultation. Therefore, you will be able to have your say when the time comes.
Within each department, your senior management team will be arranging to update you on these proposals. You can also read the details of all the proposals in the Cabinet report which has just been published.
I know that redundancy worries will be playing on colleagues' minds. At Derbyshire we have a strong track record of doing everything we can to avoid compulsory redundancies through retraining, redeployment and leaving empty posts unfilled. It is our priority to continue doing this. Unfortunately, due to the scale of the budget savings that we need to make, we cannot rule out the need to make redundancies in the future.
I appreciate that this will be a worrying time for many and in particular, for those directly affected by the proposals. Please speak to your manager if you have concerns and make use of our wellbeing support services if you need them.
Thank you again for your ongoing support at this challenging time. I am proud of the work that you do to deliver for the people of Derbyshire and am continuously impressed by your dedication and commitment. I remain confident that by working together and supporting each other, we can overcome these financial challenges as we have overcome many challenges before.
Kind regards
Emma Alexander