Wakefield Council budget 2026/27

2026/27 Council budget

The Revenue Budget 2026/27 is about making sure the Council uses its resources in the best way possible to provide good services that meet residents needs and improve their quality of life.

The budget is focused on reducing poverty and inequalities in the district. This links to the Corporate Plan 2024 - 2026.

• The Council’s Budget for 2026/27, including supporting appendices 
• The Council’s Capital, Investment and Treasury management (outlining the Council’s approach to capital investment and treasury management for 2025/26) and appendices

Message from the Leader of Wakefield Council

Our 2026/27 budget sets out how we plan to invest more in your local services, strengthen support for our communities, and make sure our Council is in a resilient position to meet the challenges of the future.

We are focused on the things that matter most to you. Reliable bin collections. Improving roads and filling potholes. And tackling antisocial behaviour. Creating better parks and green spaces. Boosting our high streets and local businesses. And supporting our most vulnerable young and older people.

The plans reflect rising demand for adult social care and children’s services. We’ll be investing around £13 million more next year in this work so that the Council continues to deliver our most vulnerable residents. It also sets out an additional £6 million over the next three years to improve local roads. And £4 million to upgrade local parks and play areas. Both things that you often tell us are amongst your top priorities.

Wakefield has benefited from some one-off funding due to conversations we’ve been having with the Government. That’s helping us to allocate more resources to residents who need it most.

Our landmark District Investment Fund will be worth £4.3 million during 2026-27. It will help families with the cost of school uniforms and childcare. Improve access to training and leisure opportunities for our young people. Contribute more to our work to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour. And provide our most vulnerable pensioners with seasonal cost of living support.

Alongside this, the Council continues to manage our finances carefully. We’re changing to improve how we deliver services and to be as efficient as we can in everything we do. During 2026-27 this work will help us to save £11.5 million that we can reinvest back into local services.

In line with almost every other Council in the country, we will be increasing Council Tax by 2.99%, plus a further 2% to help meet adult social care costs (4.99% in total), to support frontline services. The Government assumes bills will increase at this level when it allocates funding to us. After the changes Wakefield will still have the lowest Council Tax in West Yorkshire.

Thank you to everyone working in our communities, in our local businesses, and in our public services for everything you do to make Wakefield such a great place to live.

Best wishes,

Denise

Councillor Denise Jeffery

Leader of Wakefield Council