Councillors will be asked to approve the council’s budget for 2026-27, and beyond, at a meeting on Thursday (26 Feb).
The budget has already been discussed at the Corporate Improvement Scrutiny Committee and at Cabinet, but needs approval from the Full Council to be signed off.
The proposals include savings of £15.45m for 2026/27, and a total of around £40m up to 2028/29.
Council is asked to approve the recommendations of Cabinet to: approve the 2026/27 revenue budget on the basis of an increase in the general element of the council tax of 2.99% and an increase in the Adult Social Care Precept element of 2%, totalling 4.99%, approve the Medium-Term Financial Strategy (MTFS), and approve the General Fund capital programme for the financial years 2026/27 to 2030/21 totalling £179.516m.
Councillor Puja Bedi, lead member for finance, said: “It’s long been known that councils across the country are trying to manage increasing demands for adult social care, special educational needs, temporary accommodation and children’s social care, among other areas.
“We are proposing a budget where we have modelled future demand, have plans for transformation of services, particularly in housing, and are ready to get on and deliver this budget, making savings and efficiencies in how some services are run.
“Increases in charges and council tax are necessary to enable us to run essential services across the borough and to become more financially stable for the future.
“The budget does depend on our request to government for £42.9m in Exceptional Financial Support being approved, but we are confident that there will be a decision before the meeting.”
The meeting will also cover the Housing Revenue Account business plan for 2026/27.
Find the papers, and the link to watch the meeting live, online.