Council finances summary

For 2025/26 we are expecting to receive an income of £120.7 million and spend £139.7 million, which means the net budget to pay for services is £19.0 million.

We will receive government grants, including Business Rates relief grants together with retained Business Rates of £10.2million, leaving an amount to collect from Council Tax of £8.8million.

Our Council Tax requirement

Item
Value
Item:
The council tax requirement for 2025/26
Value:
£8,840,927
Item:
The council tax requirement for 2024/25
Value:
£8,503,455
Item:
The percentage increase from 2024/25 to 2025/26
Value:
2.99%

Spending summary

Our share of Council Tax (£8.8m) funds many services including homelessness, refuse collection and waste recycling, maintaining community spaces and sports pitches, environmental health duties, supporting major projects around the town as well as health and wellbeing initiatives.

The key pressures affecting the budget for 2025/26 are:

  • pay (including the increase in employers' National Insurance contributions) and cost prices
  • the cost of homelessness and temporary accommodation
  • the impact of water neutrality (no net increase in water demand) on development in the borough
  • the commercial rental sector, which continues to be very volatile and difficult to predict impacting on the lettings of council properties

Full detail of the our budget can be read in the document below.

2025 to 2026 Budget and Council Tax (PDF, 485.6 KB)

Net cost of services

Services
2024/25 original estimate (£)
2025/26 original estimate (£)
Variation (£)
Services:
Cabinet
2024/25 original estimate (£):
-3,347,230
2025/26 original estimate (£):
-3,706,660
Variation (£):
-359,430
Services:
Community engagement and culture
2024/25 original estimate (£):
2,044,650
2025/26 original estimate (£):
1,773,450
Variation (£):
-271,200
Services:
Environment, sustainability and climate change
2024/25 original estimate (£):
4,946,750
2025/26 original estimate (£):
5,222,830
Variation (£):
276,080
Services:
Housing
2024/25 original estimate (£):
8,479,260
2025/26 original estimate (£):
8,839,690
Variation (£):
360,430
Services:
Leisure and wellbeing
2024/25 original estimate (£):
9,539,050
2025/26 original estimate (£):
9,436,660
Variation (£):
-102,390
Services:
Planning and economic development
2024/25 original estimate (£):
2,325,740
2025/26 original estimate (£):
2,496,120
Variation (£):
170,380
Services:
Public protection
2024/25 original estimate (£):
969,370
2025/26 original estimate (£):
1,194,750
Variation (£):
225,380
Services:
Resources
2024/25 original estimate (£):
-860,260
2025/26 original estimate (£):
-754,230
Variation (£):
106,030
Services:
Depreciation
2024/25 original estimate (£):
-3,936,590
2025/26 original estimate (£):
-4,492,600
Variation (£):
-556,010
Services:
Contribution to renewals fund
2024/25 original estimate (£):
350,000
2025/26 original estimate (£):
0
Variation (£):
-350,000
Services:
Net cost of services
2024/25 original estimate (£):
20,510,740
2025/26 original estimate (£):
20,010,010
Variation (£):
-500,730

Net expenditure

2024/25 original estimate (£)
2025/26 original estimate (£)
Variation (£)
2024/25 original estimate (£):
Investment interest
2025/26 original estimate (£):
-1,516,467
Variation (£):
-1,512,683
:
3,784
2024/25 original estimate (£):
Minimum Revenue Provision (MRP)
2025/26 original estimate (£):
64,900
Variation (£):
522,900
:
458,000
2024/25 original estimate (£):
Total of net cost of services less investment interest and MRP
2025/26 original estimate (£):
19,059,173
Variation (£):
19.020,227
:
-38,946
2024/25 original estimate (£):
Transfer to/from reserves
2025/26 original estimate (£):
-1,065,439
Variation (£):
87,920
:
1,153,359
2024/25 original estimate (£):
Net expenditure
2025/26 original estimate (£):
17,993,734
Variation (£):
19,108,147
:
1,114,413

Grants and other funding

2024/25 original estimate (£)
2025/26 original estimate (£)
Variation (£)
2024/25 original estimate (£):
Retained Business Rates
2025/26 original estimate (£):
-7,987,009
Variation (£):
-7,554,931
:
432,078
2024/25 original estimate (£):
Council Tax
2025/26 original estimate (£):
-8,503,455
Variation (£):
-8,840,927
:
-337,472
2024/25 original estimate (£):
Collection fund surplus/deficit: Council tax
2025/26 original estimate (£):
-99,611
Variation (£):
9,937
:
109,548
2024/25 original estimate (£):
Government grants:
2024/25 original estimate (£):
New Homes Bonus
2025/26 original estimate (£):
-35,000
Variation (£):
-19,880
:
15,120
2024/25 original estimate (£):
Revenue Support Grant
2025/26 original estimate (£):
-237,713
Variation (£):
-280,918
:
-43,205
2024/25 original estimate (£):
Services Grant
2025/26 original estimate (£):
-25,434
Variation (£):
0
:
25,434
2024/25 original estimate (£):
Recovery Grant
2025/26 original estimate (£):
0
Variation (£):
-375,387
:
-375,387
2024/25 original estimate (£):
Domestic Abuse Safe Accommodation Grant
2025/26 original estimate (£):
0
Variation (£):
-38,868
:
-38,868
2024/25 original estimate (£):
Funding Floor (formerly Funding Guarantee)
2025/26 original estimate (£):
-1,105,512
Variation (£):
-381,173
:
724,339
2024/25 original estimate (£):
Extended Producer Responsibility Grant
2025/26 original estimate (£):
0
Variation (£):
-1,426,000
:
-1,426,000
2024/25 original estimate (£):
National Insurance funding (estimate)
2025/26 original estimate (£):
0
Variation (£):
-200,000
:
-200,000
2024/25 original estimate (£):
Grants and other funding total
2025/26 original estimate (£):
-17,993,734
Variation (£):
-19,108,147
:
-1,114,413

Spending changes - budget requirement

Budget requirement for 2024/25 is £19,059,000

2025/26 budget variances

Variation (£)
Variation (£):
Inflation
:
1,137,000
Variation (£):
National Insurance increase
:
722,000
Variation (£):
Contract changes
:
-576,000
Variation (£):
Town Hall costs and rental income
:
-731,000
Variation (£):
Homelessness Prevention Grant
:
-306,000
Variation (£):
Investment and operational properties
:
217,000
Variation (£):
Planning income
:
145,000
Variation (£):
Other
:
668,000
Variation (£):
Interest/financing
:
816,000
Variation (£):
Remove renewals reserve
:
-350,000
Variation (£):
Changes in funding (Council Tax, Business Rates, government grants)
:
-1,114,000
Variation (£):
Member savings/additional income
:
-1,732,000
Variation (£):
Movement in use of reserves
:
1,153,000
Variation (£):
Budget requirement 2025/26
:
19,108,000

Band-by-Band charge table

Visit our Council Tax changes webpage for a table showing the ºÚÁÏÍøÕ¾ Borough Council charge only for each property band (A–H).

Precepting authorities’ budget figures

The council tax requirements for West Sussex County Council and Sussex Police are shown below.  Please see their websites for full details.

Council tax requirement for 2025/26 (£)
Council tax requirement for 2024/25 (£)
% change
Council tax requirement for 2025/26 (£):
West Sussex County Council
Council tax requirement for 2024/25 (£):
66,593,277.99
% change:
62,830,571.7
:
4.99
Council tax requirement for 2025/26 (£):
Sussex Police
Council tax requirement for 2024/25 (£):
9,871,711.72
% change:
9,265,863.67
:
5.54