Content

AGREED: That Cabinet
noted the report and:
i)                
Noted the Chief Financial Officer’s section 25 statement
set out in Section 11 of the report.
ii)              
Recommended that Council approved the 2026/27 budget,
specifically the:
a) net revenue budget of
£185.152m as set out in the main body of this report;
b) fees and charges as set
out in Appendix E;
c) Capital and Treasury
strategy, including the Minimum Revenue Provision policy as set out
in Appendix F;
d) capital programme as
set out on Appendix G;
e) the pay policy set out
in Appendix J; and
f) pay award of
£2,000 per full time equivalent post, from 1 April 2026 for
all staff paid on RBWM local pay scales as set out in Appendix J to
this report.
iii)            
Recommended that Council approved:
a) the schools budget in line with Appendix I of this
report;
b) the proposals for the
Schools Block (Appendix I, para 5.4), Schools Funding Formula
(Appendix I, Annex A) and Schools Allocations (Appendix I, Annex B)
including a Minimum Funding Guarantee of 0% per pupil;
c) the proposals outlined
in the Central School Services Block (Appendix I, para
5.11);
d) the proposals outlined
for the Early Years Block (Appendix I, para 5.12); and
e) the proposals outlines
for the High Needs Block (Appendix I, para 5.19).
iv)            
Recommended that Council approved the flexible use of capital
receipts strategy set out in Appendix H to fund transformation
related spend of up to £3.313m in 2025/26, and delegates
authority to the Executive Director of Resources to authorise any
further schemes up to £0.500m, in 2026/27 in line with the
strategy (paragraph 7 and Appendix H).
v)              
Recommended that Council approved the calculations for
determining the Council Tax requirement for 2026/27 as set out in
Appendix O, consisting of:
a) a Council Tax
requirement of £110,250,779;
b) a Band D charge of
£1,504.41 for the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in
2026/27, reflecting an overall increase of 7.49% based on:
- a £76.84 (5.49%)
increase in base Council Tax taking the charge to £1,263.90
for 2026/27; and
- an additional
£27.99 to reflect an increase in the Adult Social Care
Precept with is proposed as £240.51,
c) the Special Expenses
Precept increases by £2.99 (7.48%) to £42.94 for
2026/27 for the unparished areas of Windsor and Maidenhead in
accordance with Section 35 of the Local Government Finance Act
19992, as set out in Appendix O, Table O3.
vi)            
Noted the following precepts by partner organisations:
a) The Police and Crime
Commissioner for the Thames Valley, £298.28, as set out in
appendix O, Table O2.
b) Royal Berkshire Fire
Authority, £91.31, as set out in appendix O,
Table O2.
c) Parish precepts as set
out in Appendix O, Table O2, as notified
by the individual
parishes.