The Wiltshire Council cabinet met on 16 September 2025, and among the decisions made, the key topics discussed were the future of community based services, and a new approach to short breaks for children with additional needs. The cabinet also reviewed the financial position of the council, and agreed to land appropriations.

Short Breaks Offer for Children and Young People with Additional Needs

The cabinet approved a new approach to delivering short breaks¹ for families of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) from April 2026. The new approach, costed at £1.1-1.3 million, aims to be an inclusive and needs-based offer. The decision was made following extensive consultation and co-production with families and children. Councillor Jon Hubbard, Cabinet Member for Children's Services, Education, and Skills, has been delegated the authority to carry out any necessary actions within the approved budget to ensure the new short breaks offer is ready by April 2026.

The council noted its statutory responsibility, alongside health services, to provide a short breaks offer, and the reasons for developing a new approach. The approved approach includes:

• Universal Access: Community activities open to all, promoted via the Local Offer.
• Direct Payments: Agreed sum for eligible families for personalised activities.
• Short Breaks Plus: Leisure and holiday activities for children and young people needing more support.
• Enhanced Support: Higher funding or commissioned service for children and young people with complex needs.

The council considered results from a survey, included as Appendix 1 - 2025 Short Breaks Survey Report, and feedback from a webinar, included as Appendix-2-WPCC-Short-Breaks-Scheme-Engagement-Report-July-2025 2.pdf.

Future Commissioning of Community Based Services

The cabinet approved the strategic direction to recommission all community-based services in Wiltshire via a single joint framework, covering both adults and children. The framework will offer a range of lots to cover all required service areas. Councillor Gordon King, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Councillor Jon Hubbard, Cabinet Member for Children's Services, Education and Skills, have delegated authority to the Director of Commissioning to award the resulting contracts. The new contract is expected to be in place by April 2026.

The decision was made in order to provide person-centred care to improve an individual's quality of life and promote self-reliance, and to meet the increasing demand for a range of community-based options and the need to sustain a strong local market.

The council noted that it will not include an uplift mechanism, but have introduced an uplift policy to ensure providers and the council are protected from a changing economy, and that legacy cases will revert to spot packages if the provider does not apply or is unsuccessful in joining the framework.

Financial Performance and Budget Monitoring

The cabinet reviewed the council's financial performance for the first quarter of the 2025/26 financial year.

Revenue Budget

The cabinet noted that the current revenue budget is forecast to overspend by £6.510m by the end of the financial year.

The cabinet approved:

• The creation of a new earmarked reserve of £0.057m from unused grant to fund 12-month temporary posts to oversee contract management and quality assurance of providers required following Ofsted registration of supported accommodation properties.
• A virement² of £0.542m from Corporate into Information Services for additional staff, which was part of the original EVOLVE business case and budgeted centrally until required following full implementation of the Oracle ERP system.

The cabinet also noted:

• The current savings delivery performance for the year.
• The net operating surplus on the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) of £1.501m and the impact on the HRA reserve.
• The receipt of the National Landscapes grant funding for 2025/26.
• A £0.020m transfer from the Sports Development Reserve to recognise the 10% grant uplift for arts partners.
• A £0.085m transfer from the Air Quality reserve to fund the procurement of air quality equipment.
• The overspend against Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) budgets of £8.909m and the impact on the cumulative DSG deficit.

Capital Budget

The cabinet approved:

• A virement of £0.175m from the Schools Maintenance and Modernisation capital scheme line to the Stonehenge School Replacement of Lower Block capital scheme line to complete the project.
• The grant income applied for and/or received as set out in Appendix C and Appendix D of the Financial Year 2025-26 - Quarter One Capital Budget Monitoring report.

The cabinet noted:

• The additional budgets funded by grants, developer contributions, other contributions and earmarked reserves revenue contribution to capital added to the programme of £24.655m under Chief Finance Officer delegated powers.
• The removal of £0.490m budget due to a lower than expected grant award in 2024/25 under Chief Finance Officer delegated powers.
• The budgets brought forward from future years into the 2025/26 programme totalling £7.409m to support the delivery of accelerated projects under Chief Finance Officer delegated powers.
• The budgets reprogrammed from 2025/26 into future years totalling £41.114m to align with forecast delivery under Chief Finance Officer delegated powers.
• The revised 2025/26 Capital Programme forecast as at quarter one of £245.577m.
• The capital spend as of 30 June 2025 of £30.178m.

Safety Valve Update

The cabinet noted the monitoring update provided to the Department for Education (DfE) in April 2025, and the feedback received following that update, and the increased risk and financial impact, as outlined in the Quarter 1 budget forecast.

Land Appropriation

The cabinet agreed to appropriate the assets noted in Appendix 1 of the Land Appropriation report from the General Fund to the Housing Revenue Account, and subject to any necessary authority being obtained by the relevant Secretary of State, to appropriate the asset noted in Appendix 1 from the Housing Revenue Account to the General Fund, and to appropriate the asset noted in Appendix 1 within the General Fund between holding powers as indicated, and that the relevant accounting adjustments are made in the 2025/26 financial year.

Public Participation

The cabinet addressed questions from members of the public and councillors. Topics included:

• Compliance with the Equality Act 2010 following the Supreme Court ruling on biological sex.
• Discussions with Wiltshire Publications regarding advertising traffic regulation orders.
• Asylum seeker and irregular migrant accommodation operating within Wiltshire.
• The council's green tariff for electricity and carbon offsetting strategy.
• Steps to avoid a collapse in planning services similar to that experienced by Somerset Council.
• The disposal of Housing Revenue Account (HRA) surplus assets.
• Traffic management in Salisbury city centre.
• The introduction of operational fixed speed cameras on Wiltshire roads.
• The M4 to Dorset Coast report and a strategic highways scheme at Salisbury.
• The Trowbridge and Westbury Bat Mitigation Strategy (TWBMS).

Exclusion of Press and Public

The press and public were excluded from item 14 on the agenda, regarding the future commissioning of community based services, due to the likely disclosure of exempt information relating to the financial or business affairs of particular persons.