Issue - meetings

To receive the Medium Term Financial Strategy 2026/27 to 2029/30.

The Cabinet Member: Finance, Governance and Customer Services presented the report of the Director: Finance, People & IDT, which provided an update on the medium-term financial strategy, which gave an update on the key uncertainties, financial pressures and increased demand for some services. 

A consultation would take place during the period 7 January 2026 and 3 February 2026 with key stakeholders, including the voluntary and community sectors, Town and Parish Councils, businesses, and the Council’s cross-party Business and Finance Scrutiny Committee, as well as through the issuing of media releases and seeking views from residents through the Council’s website.

The proposals demonstrated that despite £195m in cuts to the Council by previous governments, the Administration’s commitment to protect, care and invest to create a better borough had remained. 

The Administration’s promise to do that was always underpinned by three core principles.  Firstly, the Council would maintain one of the lowest Council Taxes in the West Midlands and nationally and would ensure that any increases directly supported those most in need of the Council’s services.  Secondly, the Council was committed to maintaining an efficient Council, using only the necessary buildings and employing a streamlined workforce dedicated to providing the highest possible service for all of the borough’s residents.  Thirdly, the Council consistently sought to generate income from sources other than Council Tax and business rates and that this approach had helped the Council weather the financial cuts imposed by the Conservative government whilst also allowing the Council to protect the services that mattered the most to its residents, protecting every library and leisure centre, the ice rink and theatre, but has also allowed the Council to attract new businesses and jobs and build new homes for residents.

The Council had and would continue to put Telford and Wrekin residents first, the basic premise of which had and always would be to safeguard essential care and invest confidently in Telford and Wrekin's future.

Throughout the country, adult social care demand and costs had surged, and Telford and Wrekin was no different.  Next year, around £97m would go towards adult social care, and over £52m would be dedicated to children safeguarding, which added up to almost £150m or the equivalent of 70% of the Council’s net budget, directed at supporting the borough’s most vulnerable residents.

Every pound from the proposed Council Tax increase would be invested in social care services and this reflected a conscious commitment to fairness, dignity and compassion.  To sustain this commitment, an average increase of £1.20 per week for a Band B home was proposed, which was made up of 72p general and 48p adult social care precept.

Despite this, Council Tax would remain the lowest in the Midlands for the services Council provided, with Band D Council Tax around 19% lower than the Midlands average and £649.21 per year less than the highest midland authority.  Behind every statistic was a person, a neighbour needing home care, a family in crisis or an older person seeking support to live independently.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 40