Corporate plan
The financial challenge
The medium-term outlook for Buckinghamshire Council finances remains extremely challenging. Our 2024-25 to 2026-27 Budget and Medium-Term Financial Plan delivers a three-year balanced budget and demonstrates the financial sustainability of the Council at a time when a number of other local authorities are facing significant financial stress.
We will ensure that Buckinghamshire Council remains financially sound, efficient, and responsive to change. We will maintain robust financial planning, scrutinise budgets closely and be prudent in managing risks. We have already achieved significant savings over the last three years and will strive to achieve more but like all local authorities, we face challenging financial circumstances as more people turn to the Council for support, whilst the resources available to help them have not increased to match the demand.
We must be realistic and focus on greater efficiency and value for money and have developed an ambitious programme of savings planned for the forthcoming year.
Despite the financial challenges, we remain committed to investing in our communities and sustaining the vital services on which our most vulnerable residents rely. We will manage our assets to create long term benefits and additional income, reducing our dependency on the taxpayer and protecting front line services.
How we will spend the 2024 to 2026 budget
2024 to 2025 budget (gross): £1.206 billion
Borrowing costs, contingencies to manage high risks service costs, and other corporate costs: £51 million
| Service | Amount | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Adult social care | £267 million | Includes additional investment to address continued increases in demand, cost, and complexity of social care services |
| Children’s social care | £113 million | Includes additional investment for care services and children in care, plus preventative services |
| Highways and transport | £87 million | Includes roads, footpaths, street lighting, repairing potholes, parking and transportation |
| Accessible housing and resources | £168 million | Includes customer services, ICT, finance, property, housing benefit payments, HR, legal and democratic services |
| Planning and regeneration | £17 million | Includes development management, strategic planning and local planning, economic growth and regeneration, and enforcement |
| Climate change and environment | £44 million | Includes climate change, waste collection and disposals, recycling, flood prevention and street cleansing |
| Schools | £368 million | Funded by specific grants |
| Education | £23 million | Includes Special Educational Needs, school improvement and early years services |
| Culture and leisure | £9 million | Includes leisure centres, libraries, museums, parks and play areas. |
| Homelessness and regulatory services | £23 million | Includes Trading Standards, Registrars, Environmental Health, Licensing, Cemeteries and Crematoria |
| Leader | £5 million | - |
| Public health | £23 million | Giving residents tools and information to lead healthier lives. Funded by specific grants |
| Communities | £9 million | Includes community boards, community safety, community grants and localities and strategic partnerships |
| Service | Spend |
|---|---|
| Planning and regeneration | £37.1 million |
| Education and children's services | £179.7 million |
| Transport | £152.9 million |
| Strategic transport and infrastructure | £179.8 million |
| Culture and leisure | £8.5 million |
| Accessible housing and resources | £26 million |
| Homelessness and regulatory services | £28.3 million |
| Climate change and environment | £48.7 million |
| Corporate | £4.3 million |
| Communities | £0.9 million |
| Total | £666.3 million |