Budget proposals to meet challenges and invest in the future of West Suffolk

26 Feb 2025

A balanced and sustainable budget which invests in delivering services and initiatives that make a real difference to the lives, health and prosperity of West Suffolk has been agreed.

At its meeting on Tuesday, 25 February, West Suffolk Council backed proposals to deliver a balanced budget for 2025-2026 despite national and local financial pressures.

It includes £78 million for the day to day delivery of services through the annual budget and a £60 million investment programme over the next five years.

This includes investing in priorities such as delivering vital services, housing, reducing homelessness, emptying bins, better recycling facilities and improving health such as parks and leisure centres while protecting the environment. Also, the budget supports investing in initiatives that create jobs, help businesses, develop and support local town centres. markets and rural areas to encourage civic pride. But the budget will also help the most vulnerable and those struggling financially.

The budget builds on the authority’s strong financial foundations, as highlighted by the Local Government Association’s independent Corporate Peer Review. The council aims to stretch the West Suffolk pound to deliver value for money and high-quality services.

Through the council’s continued investment in property, and green energy it has been able to protect services and boost job opportunities. These investments, such as the highly successful Solar for Business initiative, secures an annual income of over £10 million.

The council is also on track to deliver its commitment for £1 million in savings by March 2026, the vast majority having already been achieved.

In their funding calculations the Government expects councils to increase Council Tax to help meet rising costs. Which means for less than £17 a month for a band D property the council is regularly emptying a household’s bins and disposing of the rubbish; providing maintained parks to enjoy; putting on markets and supporting thriving town centres; improving leisure centres to help people swim in and stay healthy, preventing people from becoming homeless, backing businesses to provide jobs and improve the economy; planning new developments as well as backing hundreds of community groups.

The budget includes for West Suffolk’s proportion of the Council Tax a rise of 11p a week (£5.85 a year increase) to £203.67 for the average Band D property per year. 70 per cent of properties in West Suffolk are actually in band A to C and so will pay less. West Suffolk will give up to 100 per cent discount to those most struggling. West Suffolk only gets 11 per cent of the total Council Tax bill with the majority going to Suffolk County Council and Suffolk Police services. 

In addition, the budget aims to continue to make Council Tax go further, as less than 20 per cent of the true cost of delivering services actually comes from Council Tax. The rest, more than 80 per cent, is from locally generated income streams and government funding.

Investments in the council priorities include:

Affordable, available and decent homes

• £0.4 million towards an Affordable Housing Grant facility and use of £1.2 million in 2025 to 2026 (from the previously agreed £14.25 million investment facility) for Barley Homes – helping to deliver homes, including those that are affordable and bring in income to support services.

Environmental resilience

• Introduction of Simpler Recycling in 2025 to 2026 with approximately £2.7 million of (government funded) resource to improve recycling levels and deliver on national requirements.
• Investment of £1.3 million in 2025 to 26 towards the Community Energy and Net Zero plan (from the existing £10.2 million fund) to deliver environmentally friendly initiatives within communities.
• £0.6 million in the year towards introducing Net Zero measures in the Council’s property asset portfolio to reduce impact on climate change and reduce costs (from the existing £4.2 million fund).
• £3.0 million annual costs to maintain West Suffolk’s award-winning parks and open spaces.

Sustainable growth

• Continued investment (£6 million in 2025 to 26 of a previously agreed £12m) in our commercial asset portfolio to improve income to support services and wider benefits for communities as well as businesses.
• An investment of £3 million in the year (of an agreed project budget of £15.1 million) towards the AME units on Suffolk Business Park to support jobs in a growing area.
• £300,000 to support the Market development plan supporting town centres and businesses.

Thriving communities

• £0.6 million funding for Thriving Communities grants and locality funding targeted at supporting community groups and projects.
• £0.4 million investment towards keeping our playing fields and play areas up to date. Including £180k renewal of play areas in Newmarket, Lakenheath and Beck Row.
• Planned delivery of previously agreed £12.4 million investment to improve and provide leisure facilities including Bury St Edmunds and Newmarket.
• £582k investment in the MUGA, lights and flumes at the Haverhill Leisure Centre.
• £140k on Changing Rooms and Playing Fields in Haverhill.

Getting the essentials right

• £300k investment in the Guineas Multi-Storey Car Park in Newmarket.
• Ongoing £2.6 million to ensure grounds maintained and grass cut.
• Ongoing £5.0 million for waste collection (black and blue bins)
• £1.1 million towards refreshing our vehicle fleet and maintaining service delivery.

As part of regular review of costs, the council will look at increases to some fees and charges, so taxpayers are not left out of pocket, following the user pays principle. This includes looking at charges such as the 20p admin charge currently paid by the council for motorists who use the parking Ringo App which costs West Suffolk taxpayers around £200,000 a year.

Cllr Cliff Waterman, Leader of West Suffolk Council, said: “This budget invests in delivering services and initiatives that make a real difference to the lives, health and prosperity of West Suffolk’s communities and businesses. It is a balanced budget built on our strong financial record of driving value for money and making the West Suffolk pound stretch much further. For example, our continued investment in property and green energy generation secures an annual income of over £10 million. This means we can protect services and help reduce the burden on taxpayers by helping pay for more than 80 per cent of the true cost of services. At a time of reduced national funding and financial pressures we can protect services as well as invest in the prosperity of West Suffolk.”

Cllr Diane Hind, Cabinet Member for West Suffolk Council, said: “This budget is an investment in the future of West Suffolk, the health and wellbeing our local communities, businesses and the environment. Despite serious pressures to our budget and all public services these proposals build on our strong financial foundations to deliver a balanced budget for 2025 to 2026. It invests in services and initiatives that people need every day, improves our town centres, supports our rural areas and drives health and economic growth. Importantly it delivers projects that helps the most vulnerable such as preventing people from becoming homeless. This budget continues to help us deliver our strategic priorities of affordable, available and decent homes; sustainable growth; environmental resilience, thriving communities and delivering essential services.”

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