Key spending priorities identified as 2025/26 budget approved

Spending priorities and long-term protection of key services have been approved as part of our 2025/26 budget.

Councillors yesterday (Thursday) voted in favour of adopting the budget at a special council meeting at Hove Town Hall.

The proposals that have been agreed include setting a legally balanced budget for the next financial year, steps to safeguard key services for the longer term and significant investments.

Investing in council priorities

Within the budget agreed by councillors is more than £24 million to support our council priorities, including the launch of a food waste collection service for the city, the freezing of parking charges across the city, investing further in adult and children’s social care, and supporting special educational needs and home-to-school transport.  

We have also committed to keeping all the city’s public toilets open.  

As part of our commitment to increasing the quality and availability of affordable housing in the city, our housing budget for the coming year will also see more than £30 million capital investment in new or purchased housing, more than £23 million to improve the quality of local housing and £13 million to improve the safety of council housing.  

Public health uplift protects vital services

We will also protect vital public health services after a recent uplift of 5.4% in funding from central government.

These include mental health support programmes, ageing well services, cancer screening projects, oral health promotion and support to children.

Council tax will now increase by 4.99%, including an adult social care precept of 2%, reflecting the financial pressures created by growing demand in this area of service. 

Delivering for residents

Councillor Jacob Taylor, Deputy Leader of the council and Cabinet member for Finance and City Regeneration, said: “The council is focused on improving services and delivering for residents.  

“We were pleased to receive increased funding from national government in the recent local government finance settlement.  

“But it is no secret that local government finance continues to be challenging, and we have taken every step possible to protect priority services for the long term. 

“We have also been able to identify significant areas of investment, including in areas we know are a priority for local people, such as public toilets, housing, food waste collections and freezing parking charges.  

“This budget will protect key services and allow us to continue delivering for the people of this city.”