Purpose

Development of General Fund Revenue Budget
2025/26 (and details of provisional Local Government Finance
Settlement 2025/26)

Content

(1) 
That delegated authority be granted to the Executive Member for
Finance and Governance to agree and submit a response to the
Government’s consultation on Local Authority Funding
Reform.
 
(2) 
That the outcome of the provisional Local Government Finance
Settlement for 2025/26, as set out in the report, be noted.
 
(3) 
That the response to the provisional Local Government Finance
Settlement for 2025/26 as set out at Appendix A attached to the
report, be noted.
 
(4) 
That it be noted further work was required to determine the
estimate of Business Rates Retained for 2025/26 which would reflect
the Council’s local knowledge/circumstances and that this
work had begun following the release of guidance from Government on
this matter.
 
(5) 
That it be acknowledged that the estimates of Council Tax income
presented in the report were subject to decision by Finance Council
on 24th February 2025 and were, therefore, indicative at
this stage.
 
(6) 
That the updated Medium Term Financial Plan 2025/28 be noted and
this would be further updated once decisions on the Council’s
budget were taken at Finance Council on 24th February
2025.