Yet another consultation. Hampshire County Council seeking your views on how best to cover a budget shortfall of £192 million in the next financial year 2027/2028).

For most of my time as a County Councillor it has been one constant round of thinking about and then acting on how to balance budgets whilst fulfilling the statutory duties to provide things like social care and Children’s services.

It’s fair to say that governments of both colours have not been generous to Shire Counties like Hampshire and have seemingly been happy to see them dipping into the reserves they hold in order the meet the legal obligation to balance the books each year.

Looking back, the fact that the Conservative administration made a huge thing about delivering one of the lowest Council tax increases for several years (obviously for electoral purposes), has rather come back to bite them now that they don’t have enough money. They are, in part, an author of their own misfortune.

I think most people are generally always inclined to vote for the lowest taxes and live with the consequences to a degree, but then you find lots of people complaining about pot holes, car parking charges, street lights being switched off, reduction in grants to voluntary groups, poorer bus services, the threat of services being closed or restricted.

Another key theme is that senior officers are paid too much or that pensions are too generous. You can use this consultation to make your views known, as you wish. It might possibly the last one of it’s type before the County Council is abolished.