Mid Sussex District Council has increased its portion of the council tax bill by 2.95%.
The rise was approved during a meeting of the full council on Wednesday (February 25) and will see the council’s portion of Band D bills jump from £196.43 to £202.22 from April.
On top of this, residents face a £15 increase from Sussex Police and an £89.82 increase from the county council.
Council tax represents more than half of the money needed to run the council and its services – more than £24m in 2026/27.
The meeting was told that the budget would be balanced without the need to dig into the council’s reserves – though it will draw on £580,000 of treasury management income.
Things look worse for the coming years. In 2027/28, reserves will need to be used, with a £949,000 deficit forecast. That is expected to rise to just over £2m in 2028/29, growing to £6.4m in 2029/30.
By then, the council will have been replaced by a much larger unitary authority, likely including Horsham and Crawley.
Robert Eggleston, leader of the council, said: “So much for the government’s Fair Funding Review. These numbers are real now and not the ‘best estimates’ we had in the past. They make for sober reading.
“Officers, staff and members – all of us – operate in a environment of increased costs, additional government burdens, increased service demands, a squeeze on income, and now the costs of local government reorganisation.”
Despite the pressures, the council agreed to place £667,000 in the Project & Efficiency reserve, which supports projects such as the District Plan examination, prep work for the delivery of the Burgess Hill station quarter, the on-going Parks Master-plan, cyber security corporate risk mitigation and the development of AI tools, and the joint venture to re-develop the Martlets shopping centre, in Burgess Hill.
Looking at the £27m capital programme for 2026/27, there will be £2m to pay for temporary accommodation for those in need.
Mr Eggleston said the council could be ‘justly proud’ of its work to help the homeless, adding: “We will continue to provide affordable short-term relief through our continuing programme of temporary accommodation acquisition to meet the needs of vulnerable individuals and families.”
The capital programme also includes £350,000 for the roll-out of barrier-less ANPR systems in six car parks, and £160,000 for improvement work across the board, including surfacing and lighting.
There is good news for people who use the council’s car parks – no changes to the tariff’s are proposed in the coming year, beyond those already approved. This position will be reviewed in the autumn of 2026.
The budget was approved unanimously.
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