NEWSROOM

At their meeting next week, the Council's Cabinet will be asked to approve the Financial Outturn report for 2025/26, which shows the authority ended the year within £133,000 of its £167.6 million net revenue budget, representing an underspend of less than 0.1% and demonstrating tight financial control despite significant national challenges.

Councils across the country continue to face rising demand and costs, particularly in Adult Social Care, Children’s Services, homelessness and transport, alongside ongoing inflationary pressures. Despite this, the 2025/26 Financial Outturn Report, which will be presented to Cabinet for approval at their meeting on Thursday 11 June, shows the Council has balanced its budget while continuing to protect vital services and invest in local priorities.

A proactive and disciplined approach throughout the year has enabled the Council to offset pressures and deliver around £11.6 million in financial benefits through the planned use of budgeted contingencies, additional grant income and strong financial control. Notably, no unplanned use of reserves was required, with the Council maintaining a healthy £21.7 million budget strategy reserve to support future resilience.

Significant demand-led pressures were successfully managed during the year, including £6.8 million in Adult Social Care, £2.8 million in Children’s Services and £1.6 million in Education and Skills. These were driven by increased demand, more complex needs and rising placement and transport costs, but crucially, support for vulnerable residents and families has been maintained without compromise.

Alongside its day-to-day services, the Council delivered a substantial capital investment programme of £113 million during the year, over 90% of the planned total, with remaining schemes re-phased into 2026/27 to maximise value and efficiency. This investment is supporting regeneration, new housing and improvements in communities across the Borough.

NuPlace, the Council’s wholly owned housing company, continues to play an important role, generating around £2 million in net benefit to the Council while delivering high-quality homes for residents and helping to support frontline services.

The Council’s strong financial performance is further underlined by its track record on governance, having received consistently unqualified (‘true and fair’) external audit opinions for every financial year from 2009/10 through to 2025/26 with no recorded qualifications or adverse findings, placing it among the strongest-performing authorities nationally.

Councillor Lee Carter, Leader of the Council, said:

“We are proud to have delivered a balanced budget for 17 consecutive years at a time when so many other local authorities have required Government intervention to support them financially. This achievement reflects the disciplined, responsible approach we have taken to managing taxpayers’ money, even in the face of significant national pressures.

“We remain focused on protecting the services our residents rely on, supporting the most vulnerable in our communities and continuing to invest in the future of Telford and Wrekin. While the financial outlook for local government remains challenging, we are in a strong position to navigate what lies ahead and continue delivering for our Borough.”

Councillor Zona Hannington, Cabinet Member for Finance, said:

“This is another really strong outturn for the Council. We’ve delivered a balanced outturn, ending the year £133,000 within our £167.6 million net budget, despite significant national pressures on services and rising costs.

“Importantly, we’ve done that while continuing to invest in our communities and protect the services our residents rely on most. We’ve taken a sensible, proactive approach throughout the year, making the right decisions at the right time to manage demand and strengthen our position for the future.

“This demonstrates that we are in control of our finances, delivering for residents today while making sure we’re well prepared for the challenges ahead.”

“Overall, the 2025/26 outturn, which will be considered by Cabinet next week, highlights a strong and resilient financial position, with the Council successfully balancing its budget, managing significant pressures, supporting residents and continuing to protect, care and invest in the Borough’s future.”

Full details are available in the Cabinet papers published online at https://democracy.telford.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=1134&MId=2865&Ver=4