That’s the commitment from Council Leader Stephen Simkins after budget plans for 2025/26 were agreed last night (Wednesday 27 February, 2025).
Councillor Simkins said that by managing its financial challenge well, the council could continue to deliver excellent services and invest in what matters most to residents.
He said: “We’re delighted to set a budget for next year that allows us to invest in our residents and city. We take great pride in getting the basics right as a council but remain very ambitious.
“We prioritise looking after vulnerable adults and providing care for children in need while improving educational achievement. We’re also boosting the city’s economy with hundreds of millions of pounds of investment in new homes, new roads, new jobs, leisure activities and more.
“As well as delivering excellent front line services like waste collections and road maintenance programmes, we’re using technology to crack down on issues like fly tipping and spending an extra £500,000 to help fix potholes and maintain highways – that’s on top of the £9.2m already earmarked for our city highways next year.
“We’re also investing in a more vibrant city centre, providing people with opportunities to get into employment and supporting residents with the cost of living.”
The budget for 2025/26 was approved at last night's meeting of Full Council. The meeting heard how the council has cut its savings target by almost half, reducing the amount it needs to save over the next 2 years from £32.6 million to £17.2 million by 2026/2027.
Councillor Louise Miles, Cabinet Member for Resources, said the budget demonstrated the council’s ability to manage its finances well.
She said: “Despite significant financial challenges, we have once again set a balanced budget, showing how this is a well run council that looks after taxpayers’ money well.
“It is thanks to the hard work of everyone involved that we’ve been able to deliver savings across the council and reduce our deficit.
“We know the financial challenge hasn’t gone away and we won’t shirk the difficult decisions ahead, but we will always continue to deliver for our residents and have a positive impact on their lives.”
