By Adam Postans, Local Democracy Reporter
Council tax for South Gloucestershire residents is expected to rise by the maximum 4.99 per cent from April.
It comes as finance chiefs have warned that the local authority faces a £16 million budget shortfall by 2028/29, even if all the cutbacks and money-making schemes previously agreed are implemented in full.
And the council’s reserves, which have been used in previous years to help balance the books, have dwindled to such a low level that there is not enough left to plug the gap beyond 2026/27 and still leave enough cash in the pot to withstand unexpected shocks, such as another pandemic or a major incident.
South Gloucestershire Council leader Cllr Maggie Tyrrell (Lib Dem, Thornbury) admitted the financial pressures meant they would have to do “some unpopular things”, including cutting some services, introducing new fees and raising the cost of those they already charge for.
A report to the meeting said: “The council will need to source around £9million of new savings for 2026/27 rising to £16million by 2028/29 based on current projections of pay and price inflation.”
It said the figures were based on all the savings and the reductions in some services that were already agreed from previous budgets being achieved.
These include shorter staffed library opening hours and dimming street lights at night.
The report said there were £19million of reserves that could be used to balance the revenue budget but that this was only £3million more than the minimum five per cent of the net budget total that the council’s policy said it must hold back.
The report said next year’s budget assumed a 4.99 per cent hike in council tax, including two per cent for social care.
Council leader Cllr Maggie Tyrrell (Lib Dem, Thornbury) said: “As with councils up and down the country, the rapidly increasing demand for our services, including the most expensive support we need to give to the most vulnerable of our residents, compounded by the year-on-year cuts to central government funding for more than a decade, have put unsustainable pressure on our finances.”
Once the local authority’s draft budget has been approved in November it will go out to public consultation. Following feedback, cabinet will approve it on February 3 before making the final decision on February 19.