In the news: Basildon Council passes ambitious budget for 2025/26

The budget, moved by Council Leader Cllr Gavin Callaghan, was approved at full council by 25 votes to 13 with 2 abstensions, and represents a decisive shift in direction for Basildon, tackling key issues such as waste collection, regeneration, housing, and community safety. 

Cllr Callaghan described the budget as a "people-powered budget" built on key aims for 2025:

1. Fixing the bins and delivering better local services 

• Weekly black bin collections will return from 28 April, reversing past failures that led to a £2.3 million waste service overspend. 

• Six additional 'Crunch' weekends will be introduced, expanding a successful initiative that allows residents to dispose of bulky waste. 

• £135,000 investment in refuse vehicle technology will improve efficiency in fly-tipping and missed collection responses. 

• Grass-cutting services will be protected, ensuring the borough remains clean and well-maintained.

2. Regenerating Basildon's town centres and investing in infrastructure 

• Westgate Masterplan Phase 1 will be submitted in May 2025, bringing a new hotel, retail, and residential development to Basildon Town Centre. 

• A new arena and office space will be proposed by December 2025, alongside a comprehensive retail strategy for Basildon and Laindon. 

• The long-awaited Pitsea Community Diagnostic Centre has now secured funding, bringing vital healthcare services closer to residents. 

• Work on the Eastgate Hospital at the former Debenhams site will begin in February 2025, helping clear NHS backlogs. 

• Wickford's new supermarket is set for planning approval in the coming weeks. 

• £190,000 has been invested in town centre public realm improvements, including lighting, wayfinding, and urban greening.

3. Building homes for Basildon people 

• The Basildon First Charter will be extended to 12 months, from 3 months ensuring all new homes are marketed exclusively to Basildon people before external buyers. 

• A First-Time Buyer Mortgage Guarantee Scheme will be introduced to help young residents step onto the property ladder. 

• £16 million has been secured for council home repairs and maintenance, addressing backlogs caused by previous mismanagement. 

• Better Basildon Homes will launch this year, including 86 modular housing units to deliver affordable homes faster. 

• £50 million has already been invested in temporary accommodation, securing 75 homes in Wickford, 41 in Billericay, and 158 outside the borough to support families in need. 

• A Private Landlord Licensing Scheme will be introduced, ensuring higher standards in the private rental sector while generating £1 million annually for community safety.

4. Making Basildon safer for residents 

• Wickford Police Station will be reopened as a Community Safety Hub to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour. 

• Each Area Committee will receive funding for new CCTV cameras and community safety measures. 

• A Women's Safety Charter has been launched, alongside a bid for Safer Streets funding in Wickford and Basildon Town Centre. 

• The Council turn streetlights back on at full brightness overnight, reversing the decision by Essex County Council to turn them off.

5. Backing Basildon's businesses and investing in skills

• The Basildon Construction Academy will be established, equipping the next generation of tradespeople with the skills for careers in construction. 

• £420,000 from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund will support local business growth and job creation. 

• The Basildon Business Awards will launch this year to celebrate the borough's entrepreneurial success. 

• The Basildon Creative Tech Fest and the Basildon Town Centre Advisory Board will drive innovation in the borough.

In addition, with Basildon Council confirmed to be abolished by 2028, the budget also provides £1 million from reserves to ensure the borough remains at the forefront of shaping the new unitary authority.

In asking Councillors to vote for the budget, Councillor Callaghan concluded by saying: 

"Basildon is brilliant.

"There is so much good happening across the five towns of our borough and this budget helps to make the place we live, work and raise our families, even better.

"We're delivering on our promises. Fixing the bins, regenerating our town centres, building homes for Basildon people, making our communities safe and backing Basildon businesses.

"After tonight, this council will only ever set two more budgets. Basildon can either be a council of the past—or a council that represents the future of local government in Essex and beyond. For the 42 of us, it is our decision to make.

"The only question you really need to answer with this budget tonight, is do you believe in Basildon?"

Ends

Pulished 14 february 2025