That Cabinet recommend to Council;

1. that Council Tax is increased by 4.99% for 2026/27, which includes a 2.99% increase plus a 2% levy for Adult Social care);

2. that for 2026/27 net revenue expenditure of £205.3m, resulting in a Council Tax requirement of £101.2m, (a 4.99% increase in Council Tax, of which 2% is for Adult Social Care), be approved;

3. that the proposed Fees and Charges for 2026/27 be approved.

4. that, in accordance with the requirement of the Local Government Act 2003, the advice given by the Chief Finance Officer with respect to the robustness of the budget estimates and the adequacy of the Council’s Reserves, (as set out in the Reserves Statement published in November 2025), be noted;

5. that it be noted that the Brixham Town Council precept for 2026/27 of £656,123 will be included as part of the Torbay Council budget for Council Tax setting purposes;

6. that the Capital Strategy 2026/27 and Treasury Management Strategy 2026/27 be approved as published for Cabinet on 2 December 2025;

7. that any technical adjustments to the Revenue and Capital Budget be delegated to the Section 151 in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing and Finance; and

8. that it is agreed that any underspend from the current financial year, (2025/2026), will be considered for allocation into priority areas, which take into account the consultation results on the 2026/2027 budget.

The Council has a statutory obligation to set a budget each financial year and must take account of all factors when setting the budget.  The Cabinet’s response to the recommendations of the Overview and Scrutiny Board were set out in the submitted report.

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The recommendations of the Cabinet will be considered at the meeting of Council being held on 26 February 2026.

The Council has a statutory responsibility to set a budget each year.  By setting and approving the net revenue budget for 2026/27 and the budget allocations proposed, the budget would be used to achieve a range of objectives across several plans within the Council including the ambitions expressed within the Community and Corporate Plan and related strategies.

The Cabinet published its budget proposals on 2 December 2025 and commenced a period of consultation that ran until 18 January 2026.  Feedback had been received from members of the public as well as from the Overview and Scrutiny Board who considered the draft budget proposals in December 2025.  The provisional Local Government Finance Settlement was received on 17 December 2025, part way through the consultation period, and the Overview and Scrutiny Board subsequently received an update on the material changes to funding and resource assumptions on 7 January 2026.  The Final funding Settlement was received on 9 February 2026.

The Cabinet’s revised budget proposals, take into account changes announced within the Settlement and consultation feedback.  At the meeting, Councillor Tyerman proposed and Councillor David Thomas seconded a motion that was agreed unanimously by the Cabinet, as set out above.

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