Council agrees ‘financially responsible’ budget to protect services and promises to communities

On Tuesday evening, councillors agreed a 2.99% increase to its share of council tax bills. It means a Band D household will pay Babergh £199.52 per year, a total annual increase of £5.79 - or 11p a week. 

This is the equivalent of £3.84 a week for all district council services - including rubbish and recycling collections, the upkeep of parks and green spaces, leisure facilities, planning services, regeneration projects and help for those at risk of homelessness.

Babergh leader, Cllr John Ward, said: “This year is probably the most difficult budget setting we have faced. For years, the funding we receive from the government has failed to keep up with demand for our services and the increased costs we face.”

The net cost of providing Babergh’s services in 2026/27 will be £13.7m, down £1.3m from £15m in the current financial year. Cllr Ward said “difficult decisions” had been made to identify savings and additional income.

But he added: “This budget will still enable us to deliver on commitments we have made – particularly to Sudbury where we have included additional capital provision to enable the Belle Vue Park café to finally be built and also to carry out work to Kingfisher Leisure Centre.”

During the meeting, Cllr Ward said Babergh faced additional challenges because, just days before budget setting, the government changed the council’s provisional finance settlement.

The total impact of this was a net funding cut of £717k for Babergh over the next three years.

“I know we didn’t expect a pleasant surprise, but neither could we have expected this. It is awful,” he said.

Cllr Ward said it was important not to push budget challenges “down the road”, particularly with Local Government Reorganisation on the horizon and the need to not pass on financial weakness to any successor councils.

He added: “This budget is a sensible balance of the use of some reserves, some reduction in services and some increases in fees and charges. 

“But it is important that we still provide the services – many discretionary – that our residents, particularly the most vulnerable value and rely on, and which makes real differences for them. Local government is about more than just doing the statutory stuff – emptying the bins, planning, licensing.”

Babergh keeps only 9% of the total council tax bill, with the rest going to Suffolk County Council, the Police and Crime Commissioner, and town and parish councils.