Torbay Council to meet this week to decide proposed £205m budget

Torbay Council is set to meet this week to consider and determine the final budget proposals for the 2026/27 financial year.

The meeting of the Full Council, taking place on Thursday, 26 February, marks the final step in a process that began in December.

Councillors will be asked to approve a "balanced net Revenue Budget of £205.334million for 2026/2027 and a Capital Investment Plan of £126.865 million for the period up to 2028/29."

Council Tax levels for the bay will also be officially set during the session.

Councillor David Thomas, Leader of Torbay Council, said the approach was "one of strong financial management and creating a sustainable financial future for our residents and visitors."

He noted that the council is operating in a "very challenging budget position given the three-year settlement we have received from Government," adding that "it is essential that we plan now to minimise the impact of reductions that the Council will have to make in future years."

The final plan includes several adjustments made following public consultation and final funding allocations from central government. These include:

• Council Tax: "Increasing Council Tax by 4.99 per cent, reflecting the Government’s explicit expectation and the financial risk of receiving reduced funding if the full increase is not applied."

• SEND Funding: "Creating a new SEND Higher Needs Block reserve with a £1.7 million one‑off allocation to meet the Council’s required 10% contribution to forthcoming national Dedicated Schools Grant policy changes."

• Adult Social Care: "Establishing a new Adult Social Care reserve, with £730,000 allocated to support transformation and begin developing long term funding solutions for the service."

• Future Savings: "Allocating £400,000 on a one-off basis to support transformation activity, helping to sustainably reduce Council spending in future years."

The Cabinet has acknowledged that the current funding settlement "does not allow us to respond to the consultation feedback received from residents."

However, Cllr Thomas stated that the administration is "committed to focussing any end of year underspend on the areas identified by residents as being most important," such as "Operation Brighter Bay," which aims to make improvements "more visible within our residential communities as well as key visitor areas."

The final decision on these proposals will be made by the Full Council this Thursday.