Tell us your priorities by Friday 4 December 2026. Our consultation on the draft budget is open now.
The draft budget at a glance
- We plan to spend £309.4 million on day-to-day services in 2027/28, up from £295.9 million in 2026/27.
- Almost 60p in every £1 goes on care and support for adults and children.
- Costs are rising faster than our income, so we need to close a gap of £20.2 million.
- We propose a council tax increase of 4.99%. This would add £105.71 a year, about £2.03 a week, to a Band D bill.
How we plan to close the gap
| Proposal | Amount (£ million) |
|---|---|
| Council tax increase of 4.99% | 8.0 |
| Fewer senior managers, shared back-office services and giving up 3 office buildings | 2.9 |
| Helping more people to live independently at home for longer | 1.9 |
| Buying 60 homes for temporary accommodation instead of using hotels | 1.3 |
| New income from advertising, events and commercial waste collections | 0.5 |
| Use of reserves, while longer-term savings take effect | 5.6 |
| Total | 20.2 |
What we plan to spend more on
- £2.2 million more for waste and recycling, mainly to run weekly food waste collections from January 2027
- £1.2 million more for road and pavement repairs, paid for by energy savings from our new LED street lights. Overall, spending on roads falls by £0.4 million
- £0.3 million to open the winter shelter a month earlier
Spending by service area
This table shows our net spending on each service: what it costs after income from fees, charges and grants for that service.
| Service area | 2026/27 budget (£ million) | 2027/28 draft (£ million) | Change (£ million) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult social care | 106.3 | 112.4 | +6.1 |
| Children’s services and education | 68.9 | 71.8 | +2.9 |
| Waste and recycling | 19.4 | 21.6 | +2.2 |
| Roads, transport and parking | 14.6 | 14.2 | −0.4 |
| Housing and homelessness | 11.2 | 12.7 | +1.5 |
| Parks, leisure, libraries and culture | 13.5 | 13.9 | +0.4 |
| Communities and public health | 9.4 | 9.6 | +0.2 |
| Planning, licensing and regulation | 6.0 | 6.1 | +0.1 |
| Customer services, council tax and benefits | 8.5 | 8.3 | −0.2 |
| Democracy and corporate services | 18.9 | 18.7 | −0.2 |
| Borrowing costs for capital projects | 19.2 | 20.1 | +0.9 |
| Total | 295.9 | 309.4 | +13.5 |
Where the money comes from
| Source | 2027/28 draft (£ million) |
|---|---|
| Council tax | 168.9 |
| Business rates | 86.2 |
| Government grants | 48.7 |
| Reserves | 5.6 |
| Total | 309.4 |
How to have your say
- Fill in our consultation, Draft budget 2027: your priorities, by Friday 4 December 2026.
- Come to the public meeting on the draft budget on Thursday 12 November 2026 at 18:30, in the Council Chamber at City Hall.
- Email budget@larkhaven.example.
The Finance and Resources Committee will discuss the draft budget at the same meeting. Meeting details.
What happens next
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| 14 October 2026 | Draft budget published |
| 12 November 2026 | Public meeting and Finance and Resources Committee |
| 4 December 2026 | Consultation closes |
| February 2027 | Full Council sets the final budget and council tax for 2027/28 |
| 1 April 2027 | The new budget starts |