Gloucestershire County Council has revealed ambitious proposals for its 2025/26 budget.

The county council has today released details of its proposed spending plans for 2025/26 which will see spending rise by more than £32.7 million on 2024/25 levels, to almost £650 million.

The council’s Cabinet is set to approve the proposed budget and a launch a public consultation at its meeting on Wednesday, 4 December.

The £649.6 million proposed budget includes significant investment into the council’s priority areas of highways, Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), adult services, infrastructure, and the environment.

A further £10 million is proposed to be put towards delivering on the council’s £100 million four-year commitment to go on improving Gloucestershire roads, with a greater focus in 2025/26 on tackling rural roads.

A total of £12.8 million is set to go towards a new £16.5 million 200 place special school.

Young people with SEND and their families would be supported with an extra £2.1 million.

£7.5 million towards the future construction of three new adult care homes is being set aside, with further investment planned in future years.

The council plans to increase capacity and improve school buildings and facilities of other schools across the county with a £12.4 million investment.

Household Waste Recycling Centres across the county will see improvements with a £1.3 million injection.

The budget proposes raising £16.5 million to help fund services through a council tax increase of 2.99%. The proposals would also see £7.8 million raised specifically to support work with the most vulnerable adults in the county through a further 2% increase in the adult social care precept.

Despite this increase the council still expects to have one of the lowest council tax levels of any county council. Based on a band D property, residents would pay an additional £6.65 each month.

The council continues to challenge itself to work more effectively and as a result has identified £24.5 million in savings, additional income and efficiencies for next year.

Cllr Stephen Davies, Leader of Gloucestershire County Council, said: “As the new leader of the county council, I am really pleased to be able to reveal our proposed spending plans for the next financial year.

“We have tried hard to balance the financial strain we are all already feeling against the need to keep investing in services for the most vulnerable and to support a strong future for the county.

“We now want to hear what you think, whether you agree with our plans or if there are things you would change. It’s not to say that we will always be able to make the changes you suggest but I can assure you that your views will help to inform the decisions we take.”

A public consultation will run from 5 December 2024 until 5pm on 10 January 2025.