Dorset Council's budget of £348million for 2023-24 has been approved, with council tax set to increase by just under 4%.

The council says the budget continues its commitment to maintain frontline services, without the need for cuts to balance the budget. Dorset Council provides about 450 different services to just under 380,000 residents.

This year's budget setting exercise took place against a national background of extreme pressures for councils. These pressures include the high level of inflation which affects the cost of delivering council services, and also the continued growth in need for social care services as a result of the ageing population.

Council tax will increase next year by just under 2% and the adult social care precept by 2%. This is less than the maximum 5% increase available to councils, as outlined in the government's Spending Review in December 2022. The increase is equivalent to £1.40 extra per week for a Band D property.

Cllr Gary Suttle, Dorset Council's portfolio holder for Finance, Commercial and Capital Strategy, said: "We have developed this balanced budget in a national context of significant financial challenge. Our overriding aim has been to protect the essential frontline council services on which local residents and businesses rely.

"The proposals do include a council tax increase; however, we have kept to it to the minimum possible despite the current high level of inflation. And we continue to provide a range of support for those residents hardest hit by the cost of living.

"Since becoming a unitary council in 2019, we have made efficiency savings of £76 million. This money has been reinvested to protect frontline services, including funding the growing need for adult social care with our ageing population.

"Our prudent budget management has meant that Dorset has not faced the same cuts to essential services as many other areas.

"However, we continue to lobby government for fairer funding for Dorset so that we can reduce the burden on local taxpayers in future."

'Shameful and distasteful' party politics brought into budget

The budget included a surprise announcement of a £2million fund to those those most in need during the cost of living crisis.

Green Party councillor Belinda Bawden (Lyme Regis and Charmouth) said that, while this support was most welcome, all those outside the majority Conservative part were "stunned" by the announcement, following months of collaborative work on the budget.

She commented: "It was upsetting and hugely disappointing to see the proposal being weaponised by the Conservatives to attack the modest amendment to the proposed 2023-2024 budget from two Lib Dem members, for a £500,000 fund to help those in need.

"It felt shameful and distasteful, in my opinion, to bring aggressive, personal and highly unnecessary, confrontational party politics into the budget debate.

"Certainly for me, as my first experience of the budget-setting process, I had found it enlightening to learn the prospects and challenges of all the operational functions of Dorset Council and felt I'd had the chance to ask questions and contribute to the discussions in a genuine cross-party, collaborative atmosphere.

"We are used to seeing certain Conservative councillors make gratuitous personal attacks but it was shocking to see a Cabinet member do so.

"At least Cllr Peter Wharf, the deputy leader, had the good grace to apologise for not letting all members know about the £2million fund in the budget discussions – he seemed genuinely embarrassed by his colleagues' behaviour.

"Are the Conservatives really so rattled by their vanishing public support that they have to resort to game-playing and grand-standing?

"Aren't we supposed to be working together to represent our constituents to the best of our abilities in a collaborative, professional working environment?"