The move, part of the council’s continued commitment to improving financial planning and governance, will ensure expectations are understood and agreed by councillors, officers and partners from the outset of the budget process - which is about to start.
This will mean more time to develop proposals structured around the main themes of the council’s Financial Improvement and Sustainability Plan and help maximise early ‘budget challenge sessions’ that will see both Cabinet members and senior officers better able to scrutinise growth, savings and income proposals for each service area.
To ensure further challenge of proposals as they are developed, the role of Overview and Scrutiny Committee will continue, and every opportunity to utilise the skills and expertise of the RBWM Financial Improvement and Sustainability Board will also now be built into the process.
A two-stage consultation will also be included in the timetable, ensuring borough residents and businesses are able to have their say on budget proposals for the services that matter most to them.
This approach also reflects the level of ambition demonstrated in the recently refreshed Council Plan, which details the action needed to achieve the aims and how progress will continue to be measured, so that the people of the borough can hold the council to account.
The budget process remains focused on opportunities to transform services - including the use of technology to make services more efficient, creating savings and increasing income generation. However, it’s already understood that this alone will not completely close the £30m a year structural deficit.
This means the council will need to agree a package of exceptional financial support from government for next year - in the form of a further capitalisation direction and increase in council tax above the current cap.
With council tax having to be agreed by Council as part of the approval of the annual budget in March 2026, formal conversations with government on support will need to begin shortly, alongside the council demonstrating that all levers are being pulled to reduce council spend.
The council Leader, Cllr Simon Werner, said: “Establishing a clear, robust and transparent process as early as possible to set the 2026/27 budget, and refresh our medium-term financial plan, is a key part of ensuring that we continue the significant action we have already taken to grip the financial situation we inherited and deliver the services residents value.”
The Cabinet member for Finance, Cllr Lynne Jones, said: “Given the council’s ongoing challenging financial position it’s important that we have a clear process of decisions and engagement as we look to set the budget for 2026/27.
“While we will obviously do everything we can to set a balanced budget for next year, we have already been clear that the ongoing structural deficit – caused by historical sustained cuts to borough council tax - means that we will need more government support, unless the forthcoming Spending Review sees a radical shift in the amount of funding to us and wider local government.”
If approved, the new process will be adopted and the Chief Executive will write to government, to set out the council’s approach and make clear that RBWM will require further support to set a balanced budget for 2026/27 and become sustainable over the medium-term.