Budget 2025/6
Consultation has concluded
This consultation will be open from 6 December 2024 to 3 January 2025.
The Council is legally obliged to balance its budget and we are now setting it for 2025/26. Your views will form an important part of this process.
Increasing demand for essential public services and inflationary pressures caused by the cost-of-living crisis, continue to cause significant financial problems. This compounds the existing financial strain created by years of austerity and the Covid pandemic.
Most of the Council Tax we collect from residents is used for services that are provided by Kent County Council, Kent Police and Crime Commissioner, and Kent Fire and Rescue Service plus some is used by the parish and town councils.
Only 9p in the pound of the money collected is used to fund the services provided by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council.
Here is a breakdown of each pound (£) collected and where it goes:
We are currently budgeting a deficit of £250,000 for 2025/26, which will rise to £10.4 million by 2029/30 if left unmanaged. There is also uncertainty around the level of Government grant funding for Local Authorities following the Autumn budget statement, which will not be confirmed until late December.
We need to determine how the council can increase income and/or reduce costs to ensure the Council remains financially stable and can balance its budget without the use of reserves.
We would like to hear the views of residents, businesses and local interest groups, to help our Councillors understand the spending priorities of the people of the borough.
Further financial details are available on the Council’s transparency pages on the website.
Transparency on spend (tunbridgewells.gov.uk)(External link)
Annual Finance Report for 2023/24 (External link)
We would be very grateful if you would complete our online budget consultation survey before Friday 3 January 2025. We will store your data in line with Tunbridge Wells Borough Council's data protection policy(External link).