Bracknell Forest Council approves its 2025/26 budget, including a 4.99% council tax increase and key funding allocations.
Adult social care and children’s services will get funding. Road repairs are also on the list. Plus, South Hill Park and temporary housing get some cash.
To save money, they’re making some changes. One car park will have closures during the year, and they will reduce grounds work. Garden waste collection will cost more. They need to save £5.3 million this year.
There was a debate about cleaning the Lexicon. They wanted to spend £55,000 on it. Some wanted to take that money from climate change funds, and that caused some disagreement.
Conservatives said the Lexicon is messy. They think litter hurts local businesses and worry it deters new businesses. They claim they support climate action still.
Others opposed taking climate funds, stating that cleaning isn’t the answer. Litter gets cleared really fast anyway. One councilor praised the climate efforts, while another said the plan hurt climate priorities. They voted against the change.
The discussion shifted to the council tax increase. One councilor called it ‘not sustainable’. Social care costs strain the budget a lot, and other services have to cut back to pay for it.
A councilor said they can’t control service demand, especially for adult and children services. It’s like an ER not being able to control patients. Despite that stress, the budget offers stability, and everyone but one person voted for it.