NEWSROOM

The Leader of the Council, Councillor Lee Carter welcomed the proposals, which will see 70p from every pound the Council spends is on providing care and support people who need it most, whilst at the same time continuing to protect, care and invest in the things that matter to residents most.

The recently announced multi-year Local Government Finance Settlement will see a real term boost of 8.8% to the Council’s spending power for 2026/27, with over £6 million in additional general funding, alongside increased targeted funding for specific areas such as homelessness and children’s services.

Whilst this £6 million additional funding is welcome, it does not balance out the £18.5 million increase in the cost of social care, so Telford & Wrekin Council is proposing a Council Tax increase for 2026/27 of £1.20 per week for the average Band B home, with every penny of the increase invested in social care services to ensure it can continue to care for the most vulnerable children and adults in the Borough.

Even after this proposed increase, Telford & Wrekin Council will continue to have the lowest Council Tax in the Midlands for the services it provides, and one of the lowest in the country. At Band D (the national average) Council Tax in the Borough is currently £649 less per year than Nottingham City Council (the Midlands authority with the highest Council Tax) and 19% below the Midlands average.

Alongside this, the proposed Budget will support £437 million in capital investment, including:

• Over £88m to deliver high quality Nuplace and Telford & Wrekin Homes for local people to rent from a responsible and responsive landlord, and investment for affordable and specialist housing programmes
• Over £59m to support further Growth Fund initiatives building on our track record of delivering growth, new employment opportunities and meeting gaps in the commercial market, a recent example being Orchard Business Park at Hortonwood delivering 24 new industrial units and creating 75 new jobs
• Over £103m for transport and Highways which includes equipping the Council to repair more potholes with the Find it Fix it crews whose targeted approach has resulted in a 15% reduction in the number of potholes in the last four years
• £41 million for education projects, including school expansions to increase pupil places
• Over £5.5 million for a range of housing initiatives, including affordable warmth, empty properties, rough sleeper, disabled facility grants and temporary accommodation
• £16.3 million for leisure and cultural schemes, including a new swimming pool, new gym equipment and amphitheatre improvements
• £56 million for local regeneration including Towns Fund investment in Oakengates and Wellington and Levelling Up funding for Station Quarter and the Theatre
• £22 million for the Pride in Place programme to build stronger communities, create thriving places and drive regeneration with investment in the Woodside, Sutton Hill and Brookside areas.

Councillor Lee Carter, Leader of Telford & Wrekin Council, said:

“This will be the seventeenth consecutive year the Council has delivered a balanced budget, despite unprecedented financial pressures. Since 2009, in response to years of underfunding and cuts to local government finances, Telford & Wrekin Council has achieved over £195 million in savings and additional income thanks to our sound financial management, while continuing to protect priority services, care for local communities and invest in the things that matter most to residents, like homes, transport and employment opportunities .”

“The increasing cost of care, and the growing demand for it, means the cost of caring for those who need it most in our Borough will go up by £18.5 million next year. We are committing every penny of the proposed increase in Council Tax, as well as the additional £6 million funding we will receive from Government for 2026/27, towards the £150 million total cost of looking after vulnerable children, people with disabilities and older adults: that’s our sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, parents and grandparents.

“I welcome this proposed Budget that will not only support those in our Borough who need help most, it will also deliver £437 million in capital investment into the things that residents tell us matter most, including homes, highways, education and services, at the same time as keeping Council Tax the lowest in the Midlands for our residents.”

Telford & Wrekin Council’s Cabinet Member for Finance, Governance and Customer Services, Cllr Zona Hannington, added:

“We know times are tough, and we remain committed to keeping Council Tax as low as possible, whilst still delivering excellent services for our Borough.

“The increase of £1.20 per week for the average Telford home, will allow us to continue caring for the people in our Borough who need it most, whether that’s your brother or sister, or your elderly mother, father or grandparent. We will also be investing in projects that make Telford and Wrekin a great place to work, live and thrive.”

The four-week Budget Consultation 2026/27 will launch tomorrow (Wednesday 7 January 2026) and run until Tuesday 3 February 2026.

Details of the draft Budget proposals are available online, where feedback can also be given, at www.telford.gov.uk/budget