Nottingham City Council is planning to maintain its current Council Tax rates into the next financial year, having achieved significant progress in managing its financial position over the past two years, largely due to additional funding provided by central Government.
The local authority has published a fully balanced provisional budget for 2027/28 alongside a Medium-Term Financial Plan outlining potential service improvements if the proposals receive approval.
These improvements would include the recruitment of additional community protection officers and expanded opening times at library facilities, while also making substantial inroads into reducing the council’s borrowing.
Crucially, all of this could be achieved without raising Council Tax charges.
The recommendations are set to be examined by the Council’s Executive Board on 20 October, after which a six-week public consultation will commence to gather opinions from residents, local businesses and partner organisations.
The provisional budget and Medium-Term Financial Plan would subsequently require formal ratification at a Full Council meeting scheduled for March the following year.
Councillor Ethan Radford, who serves as the Council’s Deputy Leader, explained that whilst the provisional financial framework currently operates on the basis of no change to Council Tax levels, the upcoming consultation will present details about the amount of additional revenue that could be generated through Council Tax increases, enabling local people to express their preferences between maintaining current rates or introducing rises.
He stated that over the past twelve months, the equivalent of £45 million had been directed towards Nottingham residents and the services identified by the community as most important.
These investments had covered road maintenance, the deployment of additional community safety personnel, complimentary collection of large household items, no-cost swimming sessions during school holidays for those aged under sixteen, and free admission to leisure facilities for senior citizens.
He confirmed that these commitments had been made possible by the council’s strengthened financial standing and the increase in central Government funding.
Alongside this, the authority had delivered the smallest Council Tax rise seen in eighteen years and was now proposing to go beyond that achievement.
The council now finds itself in a position where it can deliver improvements to services whilst simultaneously balancing its finances, all whilst freezing Council Tax.
This approach would result in no rise in Council Tax charges.
As the authority’s financial health continues to improve, the view is held that these advantages should be extended to Nottingham taxpayers.
Maintaining Council Tax at its current level would leave millions of pounds within the purses and wallets of Nottingham households at a time when many families are dealing with pressures on their household budgets.
Although the council is confident it can achieve a balanced budget without any increase to Council Tax, the intention remains to offer residents the opportunity to express their views on whether Council Tax should rise, by what amount, and how any additional revenue should be allocated if a rise were to be implemented.
A final determination on Council Tax levels would be made in the early part of the following year, though residents are encouraged to participate as fully as possible in the current year’s budget and Council Tax consultation.