These continue to be unprecedented times, with the council facing a significant challenge to produce a balanced, sustainable budget.
The council has a budget shortfall of around £35 million next year to be able to set a legal, balanced budget, which means that tough decisions will need to be taken while working hard to maintain essential services.
But you can help shape future decisions around our budget by having your say in a six-week consultation.
We want to know how you will prioritise spending on different council services and different options for making or saving money by potentially charging for or reducing some council services. This includes statutory services such as adult social care, children services, libraries, street cleaning or environmental health as well as other discretionary services the council provides.
The consultation closed on December 20, 2024.
How your money is spent
*Figures are based on spending around £332m on our services plus government grants and additional income received in 2024/25.
This relates to the council’s general fund only. It does not include ringfenced funding, for example, for council homes. Most of the council’s budget is spent on protecting vulnerable adults and children.
| 1 | Adult social care | 39p |
| 2 | Children, young people and education | 27p |
| 3 | Environmental services and highways | 13p |
| 4 | Borrowing costs | 6p |
| 5 | Customer and corporate services | 5p |
| 6 | Regeneration and regulatory services | 5p |
| 7 | Other (levies, etc) | 4p |
| 8 | Housing | 1p |