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Gloucestershire Business News

Cabinet set to approve ambitious budget

Gloucestershire County Council's Cabinet is set to approve an ambitious £650 million budget for 2025/26 following a period of public consultation.

The council is in a good financial position meaning it is able to continue support for existing services as well as make significant investments across the county.

The draft budget for the coming financial year will be discussed at a meeting of Cabinet on Wednesday, January 29.

The proposed spending plans for 2025/26 will see spending rise by more than £32.7 million on 2024/25 levels, to almost £650 million.

The £649.6 million proposed budget includes significant investment into the council's priority areas of highways, special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), adult services, infrastructure, and the environment.

  • A further £10 million is proposed to be put towards delivering on the council's £100 million four-year commitment to go on improving Gloucestershire roads, with a greater focus in 2025/26 on tackling rural roads.
  • A total of £12.8 million is set to go towards a new £16.5 million 200 place special school.
  • Young people with SEND and their families would be supported with an extra £2.1 million.
  • £7.5 million towards the future construction of three new adult care homes is being set aside, with further investment planned in future years.
  • The council plans to increase capacity and improve school buildings and facilities of other schools across the county with a £12.4 million investment.
  • Household waste recycling centres in the county will see improvements with a £1.3 million injection.

The Cabinet meeting follows a public consultation which ran from December 5 until January 10.

This consultation saw 65% of respondents either agree or strongly agree with the council's priorities for the year ahead.

As well as this, 74% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed with the funding the council are proposing to allocate to adult services, public health and communities, and to children and families, with 75% agreeing with the money the council plans to spend on community safety.

In addition, 61% agreed or strongly agreed with the council's funding proposals for the economy, environment and infrastructure. The responses saw a mix of views on whether there should be more or less investment into the county's roads and cycling infrastructure.

The budget proposes raising £16.5 million to help fund services through a council tax increase of 2.99%. The proposals would also see £7.8 million raised specifically to support work with the most vulnerable adults in the county through a further 2% increase in the adult social care precept.

Despite this increase, the council still expects to have one of the lowest council tax levels of any county council. Based on a band D property, residents would pay an additional £6.65 each month.

The council continues to challenge itself to work more effectively and as a result has identified £24.5 million in savings, additional income and efficiencies for next year.

Cllr Stephen Davies, Leader of Gloucestershire County Council, said: "I would like to thank residents from across our county for giving their views in the recent consultation, which gives valuable insight into where people want money to be spent.

"I am pleased that we are in a position to both support existing services and invest in our priorities.

"Unlike many of our neighbours who are making cuts, Gloucestershire County Council's budget sees us able to invest in critical areas.

"In our budget proposals, we have tried hard to balance the financial strain we are all already feeling against the need to keep investing in services for the most vulnerable and to support a strong future for the county."

If the draft budget is approved by Cabinet, it will be put to full council at a meeting in February.

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