Balanced budget and increased investment agreed by West Sussex County Council

A balanced budget, which protects frontline services, has been agreed by West Sussex County Council for the financial year ahead.

The authority will spend £2.3 billion on day-to-day services, with major investment in schools, adult social care, roads, the fire service and the environment.

Council leaders say no vital frontline services will be cut, despite rising costs and reduced government funding.

Leader of West Sussex County Council, Cllr Paul Marshall, said: “This is an extremely positive budget against a very difficult background of increasing pressures and rising costs.

“As a County Council we deliver over 300 services to more than 915,000 residents across 769 square miles. We know our residents, particularly the most vulnerable, depend upon our services every day and I’m pleased to say this budget will not cut any of those vital frontline services.

“This has not been an easy task and has been made even more challenging after the government – through a process called Council Tax Equalisation - reduced our funding by £30m over the next 3 years and redistributed the funds elsewhere in the country.”

The county council today agreed to spend £2.3 billion on day-to-day services in 2026-27 including:

• £1,346.7m on schools and education, children’s social care and support        
• £577.2m caring for adults and keeping people healthy     
• £90.1m protecting the environment, recycling and waste disposal             
• £84.6m maintaining roads and providing transport      
• £72.8m on fire and rescue services and supporting communities    
• £5.8m supporting the local economy          

This includes a net revenue increase of £34.7m to meet increasing demand pressures and costs, particularly in social care, home to school transport, and special educational needs and disabilities.

Alongside the day-to-day revenue budget, the county council also agreed a five-year capital programme of £842m, with capital investments of £142.3m for 2026-27, including:

• £56.5m to maintain roads and provide transport - focusing on the annual highways works programme including investments in major A roads and highways depots, bus services, and street lighting
• £39.3m managing schools and education, children’s social care and support – including adaptations in mainstream schools to increase the number of specialist school places within the county and accommodate a wider variety of needs
• £6m for recycling and waste disposal, and to protect the environment - mainly focused on investment into renewable energy, changes needed to waste disposal to accommodate the collection of separate food waste and other nature-based investments to protect the environment

Cllr Jeremy Hunt, Cabinet Member for Finance and Property, said: “We are not alone in facing difficult financial circumstances, we have seen this in our neighbouring authorities and across the country. However, because of our sound financial management over many years, we have once again been able to present a budget that continues our history of providing excellent services for our residents, as well as delivering on the priorities in Our Council Plan.”

The county council’s key priorities in its Council Plan are: 

• keeping people safe in vulnerable situations
• a sustainable and prosperous economy
• helping people and communities fulfil their potential
• making best use of resources
• maximising the benefits of devolution and local government reorganisation for residents and communities

All priorities are underpinned by the cross-cutting theme of ‘protecting the environment’.

To balance the budget, savings of £30.4m have been identified alongside the introduction of a 4.99% increase in council tax - comprising 2% for Adults’ Social Care and 2.99% for General Fund services.

This means the county council element of the average Band D council tax bill will increase from £1,800.54 to £1,890.36, an increase of £89.82 per year or £1.73 per week.

Cllr Hunt continued: “An increase in council tax is never something we want to introduce but as the government assumes we will have this additional revenue when it allocates funding to us, we are left with little choice.

“Each year it becomes increasingly difficult to balance the budget, and we know these challenges will continue in the years ahead. So, I am proud that we have been able to continue to do so without cuts to frontline services or a reliance on reserves.”

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