What we are consulting on
We are asking for your views on our draft spending plans for the next financial year, 2026 to 2027.
The council agrees its annual budget in February each year. This sets out how will we use our money to secure the best possible services for residents. It spells out the income we expect to receive, including from council tax and other fees and charges, and the savings we need to make to ensure our income matches our expenditure.
We face unprecedented levels of financial uncertainty. The government’s Fair Funding Review will redistribute billions of pounds around the country. While we do not know exactly what it means for us, it is very likely that B&NES will lose significant funding.
This uncertainty comes on top of sustained inflation, rising demand for adult social care and continued pressure on children’s services.
Given this context, the government’s calculations assume that all councils will raise council tax by the maximum level of 4.99%. We are proposing to make this increase, which is the maximum allowed without a local referendum. B&NES has the third lowest level of council tax in the South West.
Set against this difficult background, we also have to consider areas where we can make savings, while prioritising frontline services and continuing to support our most vulnerable residents.
To achieve a balanced budget, below we set out some of the things we are considering bringing to council in February for agreement - we are asking for your views on these draft proposals.
We are taking a prudent and proactive approach, maintaining reserves at the same level as 2025/26 to help us manage in-year pressures and unforeseen risks.
Background
This consultation is about the ongoing operational spend on our day-to-day services, known as the revenue budget. It does not refer to one-off spending on infrastructure such as transport projects, known as capital schemes. Our budget has to be balanced every year, which means our spending must be the same as our income, and we cannot borrow to spend more on services.
Due to the uncertainty around the Fair Funding Review, we must base our entire Medium Term Financial Strategy on assumptions and modelling rather than confirmed figures. We included this in our revised Medium Term Financial Strategy in November 2025.
The Medium Term Financial Strategy shows a projected budget gap of £8.9 million for 2026/27, and further gaps of over £10 million in each of the following two years. This leaves us with a cumulative funding gap of £38.6 million over the next five years (2026/27 to 2030/31), even after accounting for planned savings and income generation.
Budget Rebasing, Pressures and Growth Proposals
Children's Services
| Budget Proposal Description | Impacts on Service Delivery | Value £000 | Current Budget Comparison £000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Children's Social Care Demographics | We've assessed the existing budget growth and demographics assumptions and increased investment to reflect rising demand, increased costs in the market and national policy directives. Read Equality Impact Assessment CS.G.S.01 | 1,307 | 21,864 |
| SEND staffing | Continuing to invest in strengthening our Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) services. An in-year reserves request has funded additional staff who are making a difference with reduced assessment backlogs, fewer complaints and improved compliance. Maintaining this improved performance is essential for our SEND children and families and to meet rising demand. Read Equality Impact Assessment CS.G.02 | 235 | 1,547 |
| Investment in new Business Manager Post in Home to School Transport service | Better management of home to school transport while achieving efficiencies and providing resilience. Read Equality Impact Assessment CS.G.03 | 90 | 11,435 |
| Closing the gap in educational outcomes between pupils from more and less affluent backgrounds | Resource to lead and further strengthen the educational attainment gap reduction programme; and investment to sustain and strengthen projects already delivering measurable progress including Language for Life. Read Equality Impact Assessment CS.G.04 | 350 | 5,608 |
Adult Services
| Budget Proposal Description | Impacts on Service Delivery | Value £000 | Current Budget Comparison £000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult Social Care demand / demographics | Increased investment to reflect rising demand, increased costs in the market and national policy directives. Read Equality Impact Assessment AS.G.01 | 2,079 | 46,430 |
Sustainable Transport Strategy
| Budget Proposal Description | Impacts on Service Delivery | Value £000 | Current Budget Comparison £000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highways operational costs | Growth to support increased maintenance costs of highways services. Read Equality Impact Assessment PM.G.01 | 110 | 7,157 |
Communications and Community
| Budget Proposal Description | Impacts on Service Delivery | Value £000 | Current Budget Comparison £000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sustaining statutory levels of service provision following reductions in grants from the Ministry of Justice and Police and Crime Commissioner. | Services to reduce crime, tackle antisocial behaviour, address substance misuse and support victims of domestic abuse can be maintained at statutory levels. Read Equality Impact Assessment RS.G.01 | 320 | 433 |
Resources
| Budget Proposal Description | Impacts on Service Delivery | Value £000 | Current Budget Comparison £000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal - 3 x posts to meet new Children's SEND and Adults deprivation of liability demand | This allows for in-house provision, rather than reliance on more expensive external legal support Read Equality Impact Assessment RS.G.02 | 187 | 1,319 |
Budget Savings and Income Proposals
Children's Services
| Budget Proposal Description | Impacts on Service Delivery | Value £000s | Current Budget Comparison £000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reunifications | The savings will be delivered by an increase in family reunifications and step downs from residential placements. Read Equality Impact Assessment CS.G.S.01 | 390 | 8,634 |
| Reduce off contract spend | Deliver best value by continuing to manage spend efficiently and ensure services continue within budget, optimizing commissioned contracts and resources. Read Equality Impact Assessment CS.S.02 | 75 | 2,123 |
| Home to School Transport cost reduction measures | New post will ensure better management of our home to school transport service for users. Read Equality Impact Assessment CS.S.03 | 150 | 11,435 |
Adult Services
| Budget Proposal Description | Impacts on Service Delivery | Value £000s | Current Budget Comparison £000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Increase the number of reviews to ensure people have the correct care package | These proposals include an approach to reviews under the Care Act that ensure people's needs are being met, their outcomes are being achieved and that support when needed is provided in the most cost effective way using least restrictive practices. Read Equality Impact Assessment AS.S.01 | 450 | 46,430 |
| Recommissioning Framework | Ongoing efficient management of contracts for services and optimisation of commissioning resources. Read Equality Impact Assessment AS.S.02 | 250 | 19,614 |
| Development of Individual Service Fund | The fund means someone can benefit from personalised support and have more control over how their budget is used for things like day-to-day activities and wellbeing. There is less burdensome administration for each person getting this type of tailored support. It can also adapt to a person’s changing needs and it helps promote independence. Read Equality Impact Assessment AS.S.03 | 200 | 32,002 |
| Increase the number of people who have access to reablement | To support people to become more independent we are looking to expand reablement services and use more technology. This approach allows for more efficient use of homecare resources. The service can be tailored to individual needs reducing the need for more intensive or long-term care. Read Equality Impact Assessment AS.S.04 | 200 | 14,307 |
| New service for people with learning disabilities, physical disabilities and autism | There is an opportunity to positively impact people we support in B&NES for people aged 16 years old or over and who have a learning disability, physical/sensory needs, mental health need or are autistic. The approach will be to develop short term pathways of support to maximise independence and resilience. Read Equality Impact Assessment AS.S.05 | 300 | 19,614 |
| Young People Transitions to Adult Social Care Offer | The proposed savings in transitions to adult social care focus on continuing to improve early, coordinated planning linked to education, health and care plans, joint commissioning and pooled budgets, assigning a designated worker for continuity, promoting independence and life skills, proactive information and guidance, and early financial advice. These approaches aim to ensure seamless transitions, reduce dependency, and provide cost-effective, person-centred support. continuing to improve Read Equality Impact Assessment AS.S.06 | 300 | 23,571 |
| Preventing a second fall | We will reduce the number and severity of falls of people aged 65 plus and other at-risk groups by using a range of early interventions including exercise, home assessments and medication reviews. Read Equality Impact Assessment AS.S.07 | 200 | 14,307 |
| Income generation from provider services | Review the level of income generated from self-funders and placements commissioned by other local authorities and Integrated Care Board (ICB). Read Equality Impact Assessment AS.S.08 | 200 | 8,791 |
| Agency Spend (Residential Services) | Continued reduction in Residential Services agency expenditure from 17.45% to 16% by reducing the cost of agency backfill across services. Read Equality Impact Assessment AS.S.09 | 100 | 8,791 |
| Review assisted employment offer | We commission short-term assisted employment support for adults with mental health-related needs. As contracts reach their planned end dates, there are opportunities to review these in line with latest national policies and find alternative support best placed to meet people’s needs. Read Equality Impact Assessment AS.S.10 | 120 | 8,552 |
| Technology Enabled Care | This proposal will be achieved by using technology enabled care to reduce social care resource requirements. Technology enabled care products such as personal alarms and pendants, bed and chair sensors, pills dispensers and door sensors support people to undertake daily living tasks and enable independence. Read Equality Impact Assessment AS.S.11 | 75 | 46,430 |
| Optimising the use of Better Care Fund to protect social care expenditure on prevention services, in line with national guidance and local priorities | Commissioners will optimise the use of Better Care Fund to fund prevention services by continuing to robustly plan expenditure and ongoing monitoring of population outcomes achieved. Read Equality Impact Assessment AS.S.12 | 320 | 25,443 |
| Royal Victoria Park Leisure Facilities | New contract in place for the operation of the leisure facilities in Royal Victoria Park including tennis courts, adventure golf, events spaces and café. Read Equality Impact Assessment PH.S.01 | 20 | 292 |
Sustainable Transport Delivery
| Budget Proposal Description | Impacts on Service Delivery | Value £000s | Current Budget Comparison £000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| New parking charges | Consultation - outcome dependent - including moving to a system where vehicles taking more space would be charged more than smaller vehicles. Read Equality Impact Assessment PM.S.01 | 290 | 14,962 |
| Parking - strategic review and implementation of additional pay and display and resident parking zone schemes | This will reduce commuter parking in residential areas leading to reduced congestion and improved road safety. Potential to increase demand for Park & Ride services. Read Equality Impact Assessment PM.S.02 | 50 | 14,962 |
| Parking – increased enforcement in line with community requests and national legislation | Reduced illegal parking in all areas; reduced congestion, improved safety. Potential to increase demand for Park & Ride services. Read Equality Impact Assessment PM.S.03 | 50 | 1,446 |
| Increased use of Moving Traffic Enforcement powers, including on Yellow Box Junctions. | Ensuring that all road users adhere to regulations will benefit road safety and help improve traffic flow. Read Equality Impact Assessment PM.S.11 | 250 | 1,446 |
Communications and Community
| Budget Proposal Description | Impacts on Service Delivery | Value £000s | Current Budget Comparison £000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Park and Ride fare increase from £3.70 to £4.00 | The 10 single journeys ticket would increase from £14.80 to £16.00 and a group ticket from £5.50 (for 2 adults) to £6.00. Up to 5 children under 16 would continue to travel free with a fare paying adult. Read Equality Impact Assessment PM.S.04 | 100 | 546 |
| Public Protection - removal of the in house pest control service. | Stop providing this charged-for service to the public. Read Equality Impact Assessment PM.S.06 | 18 | 18 |
Resources
| Budget Proposal Description | Impacts on Service Delivery | Value £000s | Current Budget Comparison £000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Review of Household Waste Recycling Centre site capacity and usage | Change opening hours of recycling centres in Bath and Welton, Midsomer Norton, ensuring people can always get to a recycling centre seven days a week. Read Equality Impact Assessment PM.S.07 | 200 | 18,908 |
| Refuse and garden waste round efficiencies | Revise routes for waste services to manage volumes more effectively and efficiently. Read Equality Impact Assessment PM.S.08 | 170 | 18,908 |
| Realise savings from exporting surplus power from Keynsham Recycling Hub Pixash from the 780KWP solar array at the facility. | Surplus power is currently available at evenings and weekends, and to some degree in daytime dependent on depot base load. Aim to maximise revenue by exporting surplus power to the grid. Read Equality Impact Assessment PM.S.09 | 30 | 206 |
| Fuel cost saving from move to electric | In relation to 6 x electric trucks due summer 2026 Read Equality Impact Assessment PM.S.10 | 36 | 1,793 |
| Phased transition of all social and private managed housing properties to fortnightly refuse collections. | Builds on commitments made to increase recycling and includes site assessments, resident engagement, and coordination with the Business Waste team to offer any additional refuse collections at commercial rates should the housing management company require it. Read Equality Impact Assessment PM.S.05 | 31 | 18,908 |
| Transforming Customer Services | The council has invested in a new technology platform for customer services that will enable us to maintain high service standards while reducing back office spend. Read Equality Impact Assessment RS.S.01 | 300 | 3,500 |
| Contract Management - Delivering Greater Value | Part of a wider programme of continued contract management improvements and will focus on the top value contracts in the council by leveraging in greater value through improved contract management. Read Equality Impact Assessment RS.S.02 | 250 | 36,935 |
Economic And Cultural Sustainable Development
| Budget Proposal Description | Impacts on Service Delivery | Value £000s | Current Budget Comparison £000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recover costs of administering the Discovery Card scheme. | We will explore levying a small charge for the discovery card to cover the council's overhead costs. Read Equality Impact Assessment SC.S.01 | 50 | 0 |
| Increase income generation from the Guildhall | There is an opportunity to deliver more income via an increased number of event bookings if some operational changes are made to the management of the building. Read Equality Impact Assessment SC.S.02 | 25 | 195 |
Take part in the consultation
The consultation runs from Friday 12 December 2025 to 5pm on Monday 19 January 2026. You can respond to the consultation using our online form.
Other ways to take part in the consultation
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 39 60 53.
You may also send written comments to:
Budget Consultation
Lewis House
Manvers Street
Bath
BA1 1JG
What happens next
Budget updates and proposals will be discussed at the following Policy Development and Scrutiny Panel meetings:
- Children, Adults, Health and Wellbeing Policy Development and Scrutiny Panel on 19 January 2026
- Climate Emergency and Sustainability Policy Development and Scrutiny Panel on 22 January 2026
- Corporate Policy Development and Scrutiny Panel on 3 February 2026
The detailed budget proposals will be drawn up for consideration by councillors at the following meetings:
Council makes the final decision on setting Council Tax and the budget.
You can view information about all budget meetings on our council meeting calendar web page. You are also able to view meetings on our YouTube channel