Cabinet sets out new budget proposals for 2025-26

Budget proposals for 2025-26 have been revealed by the Cabinet of Bridgend County Borough Council as the local authority sets about agreeing the next stage of its medium term financial strategy.

Featuring a gross revenue budget of £530m and a net budget of £383m, the budget proposals include a council tax increase of 4.5 per cent, which works out as being the equivalent of an extra £1.59 a week for an average Band D property.

At a meeting held earlier today (Tuesday 14 January), Cabinet members heard that despite receiving a higher than expected settlement from Welsh Government, ongoing budget pressures mean that the council still faces difficult choices and a savings target of £9.1m to balance the budget for the year.

Proposals for achieving these savings include withdrawing the Meals on Wheels service, cutting music funding for the Bridgend Music Service, transferring the control of school-based community facilities over to local schools, and increasing burial fees and bulk waste charges. Some proposals, such as no longer supplying households with refuse sacks, were agreed during previous budget-setting procedures.

The budget proposals also include capital investments such as £1.9m for making disabled adaptations to people’s homes to enable them to continue living there, £1.1m for carrying out minor works on council buildings, £400,000 for street lighting and bridge infrastructure, £590,000 for highways structural and carriageway capital works, £200,000 for decarbonisation and community projects, £100,000 for housing renewal and bringing empty properties back into use, and £400,000 for essential ICT infrastructure.

This is the start of our budget setting process, and our proposals will be discussed as part of the all-party scrutiny process before members meet at full Council in February to agree what the final budget will be for next year. We are also undertaking a full public consultation, the results of which will be analysed and reported upon before any final decisions are made.

While the financial outlook facing local government for 2025-26 is somewhat bleak, our budget proposals have been anchored firmly in reality, and are designed to be both achievable and sustainable. We welcome the higher than expected settlement from Welsh Government while also accepting that multi-million pound savings must still be found for the year ahead.

After so many years of dealing with reduced resources and having been forced to cut more than £80m from council budgets already, this is no easy task, but we remain optimistic, resilient, and ready to face up to the challenge.

Cllr John Spanswick, Leader of Bridgend County Borough Council

Councillor Hywel Williams, Cabinet Member for Finance and Performance, added: “We have ensured that our budget proposals protect our current investment into education, early intervention and social services and well-being, and that they safeguard our most vulnerable residents while continuing to encourage people and communities to be more self-reliant.

“Latest figures have revealed that thanks to prudent financial management and additional funding from Welsh Government, an anticipated overspend on last year’s budget has now become an underspend of around £6.7m.

“Similarly, while we have asked schools to identify budget reductions totalling one per cent of their budget, they also stand to receive additional funding across a range of pay and price increases that should more than outweigh any reduction.

“All of the budget proposals can still be influenced by recommendations made as part of the scrutiny process and as part of feedback from the ongoing public consultation, so it is more important than ever for people to take part and have their say.

“You can do this and view the council’s proposals in full by visiting the consultation pages at www.bridgend.gov.uk, or by picking up a paper copy from your local library.”

Cabinet will meet to discuss scrutiny and consultation feedback on the budget proposals on 18 February. The final budget proposals will then be presented to Council on 26 February for final discussion and agreement.