Cabinet to recommend £697 million budget for Council to approve

Published

23.01.2026

Gloucestershire County Council’s cabinet is set to recommend that the ambitious budget plan for the next few years is put forward to Full Council for debate and approval at its February meeting.

This follows a period of public consultation on draft proposals which saw more than 350 responses. The  proposed spending plans for 2026/27  will see spending rise by £32.7  million on 2025/26  levels, to almost £700  million.  

The £697.8 million proposed budget includes significant investment by the council to improve road safety, education for young people, and continued support  for  the most vulnerable people in the county. 

An  additional £15 million is proposed to be spent over the next three years on improving the quality and safety of the county’s roads. In addition, £2 million will be spent on improving road safety through introducing 20mph speed limits over the next two years.   

A total of £21.1 million will be spent on delivering the new special schools in Gloucester and Cheltenham,  allowing more young people to be educated closer to home. A further £2.7 million will be invested in the Special Educational  Needs and Disabilities (SEND) services.  

Towards a total investment of £57 million, there will be £6.55 million committed next year towards the building of three new care homes in the county.  

Household Waste Recycling Centres across the county will  benefit  from improvements with £3.9 million set to be invested over the next four years.  

Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service will see £2.5 million spent on new frontline vehicles, £1.5 million towards a new training facility, and £1.3 million to make improvements to Cinderford Fire Station.  

The Cabinet meeting follows a public consultation which ran from 4 December until 9 January. 

This consultation saw 44 per cent of respondents support the proposals to increase Council Tax and the Adult Social Care Precept. The proposed increase reflects unavoidable pressures on the council and supports the continued delivery of essential services. 

There was broad support from the consultation responses for the budget’s revenue proposals across most service areas. This investment will ensure we can enable effective delivery across the organisation, including digital infrastructure, financial controls and workforce support. These functions ensure frontline services remain safe, modern and efficient. 

The budget proposes raising an  additional  £27.4 million to help fund services through a council tax increase of 2.99% and a further 2% increase in the adult social care precept, which will specifically support work with the most vulnerable adults in the county.  

Based on a band D property, residents would pay an  additional  £1.61  each  week.  

The council is also looking at the way it works to generate more income, reduce costs and make its money go further. This will create £32.3 million in savings for the council’s budget in 2026/27. 

Cllr Lisa Spivey, Leader of Gloucestershire County Council, said: “I would like to thank everyone who took part in our budget consultation. Your views give us a valuable insight into where our communities want money to be spent. 

 “The financial settlement from Government for the coming years has not been what we had hoped and leaves us in an extremely challenging position. 

“Despite these challenges, I am delighted that we have been able to propose a budget that protects frontline services and invests in what our residents need and rely on. This is part of our commitment to delivering on the priorities we set out in our Council Plan last year.”