Have your say on the East Sussex funding gap consultations

Shared on behalf of East Sussex County Council

Most local authorities have significant funding gaps for next year. East Sussex County Council is facing a funding gap of £55 million. As local authorities have a legal responsibility to set a balanced budget, this means making some difficult decisions about how the Council spends its money in future.

Every department at the Council will need to find savings to close the funding gap. Some of the savings proposals were considered by the Council’s Cabinet in September, including the Adult Social Care and Health (ASCH) proposals that require consultations. More savings proposals for ASCH and the other departments will be discussed at a future Cabinet meeting.

There are 11 proposals for ASCH that we are consulting on. The consultations started on 3 October and close on 28 November 2024. Decisions are expected to be made about all of these proposals by Members in February 2025.

The consultations cover the following services:

• Community Support Services (learning disability service)
• Hookstead and St Nicholas (learning disability day services)
• Housing Support Service (service for people aged 16+)
• Linden Court and Beeching Park (learning disability day services)
• Mental Health Community Outreach Service (service for older people)
• Milton Grange (day service for older people)
• Phoenix Centre (day service for older people)
• Recovery services for drug and alcohol misuse (services for adults)
• Steps to Work (learning disability service)
• Supported accommodation provision for vulnerable adults
• Supported accommodation provision for adults with mental health needs

People can find more information about the proposals and take part in the consultation by visiting our website: www.eastsussex.gov.uk/funding-gap-asch.

For those who don’t have internet access or need the survey in a different format or language, you can get in touch by emailing consultationASC@eastsussex.gov.uk. You can also call us between 10am-4pm Monday-Thursday on: 01273 481 242. If you aren’t able to call between these times, you can still call us on this number, but please leave a message and we will call you back.