Budget consultation research 2023-24

• There was not a majority in either of the percent specific increases in council tax, however when the results were viewed as a binary choice to increase council tax or not increase council tax there was a clear majority support (79% of respondents) for an increase in some capacity
• A 3% increase was the most popular choice, with 30% of respondents selecting it. Just over a quarter of respondents (28%) indicated that they would support a 2% increase and just over one fifth of respondents (21%) supported a 1% increase. 21% of respondents were in favour of no increase
• There is some variation by key demographics for support in council tax increases, with older residents and males more likely to support a 3% increase
• A 2% increase was the most popular choice for increasing adult social care taxes, with 40% of respondents selecting it. Just over a third of respondents (36%) indicated that they would support a 1% increase and just under a quarter (24%) were in favour of no increase
• The top three core businesses residents feel are the most important are ‘ensuring older people and vulnerable adults are looked after and supported to live independently’, ‘keeping children safe and families together’, ‘collecting bins and keeping the city clean’ and ‘supporting education, early years and children with special needs’
• When asked to divide a hypothetical £100 between the council’s nine portfolios, respondents allocated the highest proportion of funding, on average, to ‘health, wellbeing and social care’ (23%) and ‘children, families and education’ (21%)
• The largest positive difference in budget allocation is in the ‘housing and preventing homelessness’ portfolio which respondents think should be allocated more of the controllable budget by a 8 percentage point increase, whereas the largest negative difference is in the ‘health, wellbeing and social care’ portfolio with a difference of -10 percentage points
• The top three recovery priorities respondents feel the council should focus on were ‘improving health and care for our local communities’, then ‘prioritising mental health’, and then ‘creating opportunities for employment’ in third place
• There is little geographical variation in recovery priorities between respondents from different postcode districts
• The three most selected projects respondents feel the council should spend their capital budget on were, in order of popularity, ‘building new homes in the city, including flats offering special care for elderly residents’, ‘building more classrooms and specialist provisions for children with additional needs’ and ‘improving facilities at Portsmouth International Port to increase the money it generates to help protect local services’
• Respondents who left further comments on the consultation survey feel that the council should invest in improving infrastructure and public transport (18%), housing (18%) and the environment (14%)
• A larger proportion of females compared to males took part in the consultation survey (60%)
• The majority of respondents in the consultation sample were aged 45 and over (69%)
• The vast majority of respondents were white British (96%)
• Fourteen percent of respondents in the consultation sample indicated that they have a disability

• To determine if there is support for changes to council tax
• To understand where respondents think the council’s revenue budget and capital budget should be directed
• To understand which priorities residents think are most important to help shape the future of the city in the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic

An online questionnaire was developed and launched week beginning 28 November 2022 that ran for three weeks, ending on 18 December 2022.

To ensure as many residents as possible had a chance to complete the survey, it was promoted through the following communication channels:

• Press release announcing start of consultation and focus on impact of budget plans
• Social media promotion including boosted posts and adverts
• News story on website and promotion on PCC website
• Inclusions in news bulletins – Your City Your Say, Family Life, Flag It Up, Business Bulletin
• Inclusion in staff bulletins and all-staff emails
• Five face-to-face sessions promoting the survey across the city
• PCC offline consultation database (outbound telephone calls through the City Helpdesk)

In total, the consultation received 1,519 responses.

Assuming a ‘total population’ of 170,818 people (the latest 2021 census data from the Office for National Statistics for people aged 16+ in Portsmouth), this volume of responses ensures a 95% confidence level with a margin of error of 2.5%.