Devon County Council has set its budget for the year – where will the money go?

Roads, education and children will be the main focus for Devon County Council in the coming year as it agreed its annual budget and set council tax yesterday (Tuesday, February 24).

As expected following pre-budget publicity, there were few surprises as councillors voted to increase its share of the council tax by the maximum allowed 4.99%, which will bring in just over £610million.

This amounts to £89.91 a year (£1.73 a week) for a Band D property for the county council’s share.

To balance its books, the council has to deliver £38.98m of savings, alternative funding or additional income.

In a post-budget statement, the council said it will spend £839.2m on day‑to‑day services next year. This is £33.2m more (4.1%) than in the 2025/26 financial year.

Councillors also agreed a £770.6m capital investment programme covering the five years from 2026/27 to 2030/31.

It said this money would be used for major projects such as road repairs, new school places, support for children with special educational needs, and improvements to council buildings across Devon.

As it had previously revealed, spending on highways maintenance will rise to £32.4m, an increase of £2m. Councillors also agreed an additional £4m investment for highways maintenance over the next financial year.

Additionally over the next five years, £546.1m will be invested in highways. This includes an extra £55m over five years for preventative maintenance.

The largest funding increase will go to the children and families budget, with spending rising to £268m in 2026/27, an increase of £19.1m.

The council said this reflects growing pressure on children’s social care, early help for families and support for children who cannot live at home.

A total of £76.5m will be invested over five years in children’s homes, school expansions and specialist education provision.

Over the next five years, £25.8m is earmarked for new and expanded specialist schools to create more places for children who need extra support.

Adult social care continues to be the council’s biggest area of spending.

Councillors approved increasing the budget for adult social care to £395.9m in 2026/27, an increase of £9.9m. The budget report said this helps to cover rising costs, including higher wages for care staff.

The council has pledged to invest £51.6m over five years to help adults live independently, including adaptations to homes and investment in care facilities and equipment.

The council will receive £37.7m to support public health services, including help with drug and alcohol misuse and stop‑smoking services.

Spending on community services and libraries will total £14.4m in 2026/27.

With libraries across Devon facing uncertainty following a consultation on proposals to cut their hours, the council also agreed additional funding of £225,000 to restore the book fund to £500,000 and an extra £425,000 to support general library delivery during transition.

Together, these total £650,000 and reverses the proposed efficiency saving within the original libraries budget, resulting in a libraries budget of more than £7m.

More will be known about the future of libraries once the council has analysed some 17,000 responses to the consultation and announced what decisions it will make.

Additional funding announced in the budget included an extra £600,000 to improve the speed in which Education Health Care Plans (EHCP) are delivered, £300,000 for additional foster care support, £106,000 to strengthen domestic abuse provision and an increase of each councillor’s locality budget to £10,000, which is redistributed via grants to good causes and projects in their wards.

There is also an additional £500,000 for post-16 and foster care transport.

Councillor James Buczkowski, the cabinet member for finance said the budget focused on the services people rely on most, particularly support for children, vulnerable adults and the condition of our roads.

He added: “Raising council tax is never taken lightly however demand for services, particularly for vulnerable children and adults, continues to rise.

“We are investing where the need is greatest, while being realistic about the financial challenges councils continue to face. Our priority is to protect essential services and make sure public money is spent carefully and responsibly.

“Overall, the day to day services budget is increasing by £33.2million, however inflation and extra demand account for almost all of that increase.

“This is a budget built on fiscal responsibility.”