Draft budget 2025/26 proposals - consultation

Reigate & Banstead Borough Council is consulting on its budget proposals for April 2025 to March 2026.

The consultation is open from 18 November 2024 to 12pm on 13 January 2025.

You can find the full report on the budget proposals at: Service and Financial Planning 2025/26

You can find the survey on the proposals at:

Budget survey 2025/26 - online consultation

Summary of the draft budget 2025/26 proposals

The published draft budget is based on a full assessment of current council budgets and future financial opportunities and pressures. It also reflects the Council’s commitment to its financial sustainability programme, looking at four key areas: income generation, use of assets, prioritisation of resources and achieving value for money.

Proposals for our revenue budget (which covers the day-to-day costs of service delivery) 2025/26 include:

• Encourage wider use of our community centres to generate more income, including through room hire
• Making savings through the removal of vacant staff posts
• Increasing some locally set fees and charges, so we can continue to cover the costs of service delivery
• Creating new income generating posts in the Revenues, Benefits and Fraud Prevention service
• Expected additional rental income from Council owned properties
• Increased costs for information and communication technology and software
• Increasing overall funding for salaries to cover contractual and cost of living wage increases for staff
• Continuing Community Development and Community Safety activity following the end of some external funding
• Drawing on some Council reserves to deliver objectives and commitments next year

The budget also includes proposals for capital spending to make improvements to public spaces and delivery the Council's environmental sustainability strategy over the next four years.

Overall, the draft budget proposes: 

• Within service revenue budgets, additional spending proposals totalling £0.666 million, savings of £0.687 million, and additional fees and charges income of £0.182 million; and
• Within central revenue budgets a net saving of £0.189 million, alongside £1.716 million of provision for 2025/26 pay costs.

Council Tax is an important source of income for the Council and funds approximately 75% of our net annual budget. Our draft budget is based on the assumption that Reigate & Banstead’s 10 pence in the pound share of the Council Tax Bill will increase by an average of £7.69 per year for Band D households. The remainder of the Council Tax we collect is split between Surrey County Council and Surrey Police.

The final budget and Council Tax for 2025/26 will be reported to the Full Council in February next year.

Additional Information

Information on the equality impact assessment for the proposals in the annual budget is available in the following document:

Equality impact of 2025-2026 draft budget proposals (PDF)

Information on the proposed changes to fees and charges for 2025-2026 is available via the link below:

Budget consultation 2025-2026 - fees and charges

Some of these files might not be suitable for users of assistive technology. If you need a file in an accessible format, email us at: engagement@reigate-banstead.gov.uk