Date published: 2025-12-12 | Category: Delivering for local residents, Finance, Preparing for the Future
Bath & North East Somerset Council is consulting on draft spending proposals for 2026/27, including ways to invest in care, generate income, make savings and balance its budget to deliver services for residents.
The council faces significant financial pressures due to increasing demand and costs in adult and children’s care as well as uncertainty because of the government’s Fair Funding Review. This is a major overhaul of funding for local government which the council expects will result in a reduction in funding from central government.
Councillor Mark Elliott, Cabinet Member for Resources, said: “At a time when many councils have been forced into cutbacks, we are committed to protecting and investing in frontline services, including adult and children’s services, as well as maintaining spend on our roads, culture and keeping our environment clean and green.
“The government has not yet told us what our funding looks like for next year, but we are pretty certain it will be less. Its funding calculations also assume that all councils will raise council tax by the maximum level of 4.99%. We don’t agree with these changes and believe that ministers should ensure no council faces a budget cut.
“But we take our responsibility for managing taxpayers’ money very seriously and have used the best available modelling and advice to put together a set of proposals we are considering bringing to council in February. We believe this will allow us to achieve a balanced budget once the government settlement is confirmed."
Proposals include increasing Council Tax by 4.99%. This includes the Adult Social Care precept which is 2% and which will be ring-fenced to support the most vulnerable. Despite this the council still expects to have the third lowest council tax in the South West of England.
Continued investment into children with special educational needs to meet rising demand is set out as well as work to improve speech and language skills in young children, benefiting their long-term educational outcomes. There are also proposals to focus more on prevention, such as early intervention to reduce the number and severity of falls in people over 65.
There are also early proposals around enforcement for drivers who don’t adhere to ‘yellow box’ markings on roads, a review of parking charges and a small increase in park and ride fares. While a change in the opening hours of recycling centres in Bath and Welton is also proposed, residents would always be able to take their recycling to one of the centres seven-day a week. There are also proposals to make collection day changes to waste and recycling services so they operate more efficiently.
The consultation outlines measures needed to balance the books so that the council can continue to deliver for residents and asks for views on the potential impacts of proposed changes. Feedback will be used to help minimise and mitigate impacts where possible.
To view the savings and income proposals and to respond to the consultation, go to our budget consultation pages. If you need support, a printed survey, information in another format including audio, braille, large print or in another language, or you would like to feedback on any other aspect of this consultation, please contact budget@bathnes.gov.uk or call 01225 396053.
Completed forms can be returned to Budget Consultation, Lewis House, Manvers Street, Bath, BA1 1JG
The consultation will close at 5pm on 19 January 2026.
ENDS