Budget Update

We wanted to provide more information on the budget estimates as officers continue to review operational costs for 2025-26; at the moment the estimated increase in operational expenditure is about £273k, this is roughly an increase of 17% on this current year. The increase relates to energy bills, insurance, national insurance contributions and the need for increased office space as a growing organisation. To offset a small part of this increase we are seeking the generate an extra 10% in income through grants and other external sources.

We always seek to make efficiency savings where we can and have brought various services in-house for example accountancy support and electrical testing; where we can we will reduce the respective budget estimates in these areas and will be double checking estimated expenditure.

The headline figure that most people are interested in is the Council Tax. Whilst it is vital we continue to provide value for money, respond to the needs of the community and provide quality services, we know that it's the impact of the Council Tax that matters most. 

We know that the increase in 2024-25 of 28.9% was exceptionally high and in part this was due to an audit requirement to increase our reserves; despite increases in costs outside of our direct control we expect the increase in 2025-26 to be much less, around 12%, which equates to 53 pence per Band D household each week.

We want to know your views on how we spend your money and the services and facilities which matter most to you, so that we can prioritise your money for the right projects.

The consultation is live for another couple of weeks, so please don't miss the opportunity to share your thoughts.