“ Like other local authorities, we are preparing our budget in particularly challenging and unpredictable circumstances. Although we appreciate the Government’s stated intention to introduce a multi-year funding settlement, the specific details are not available yet and the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement is not expected to be available until mid-December 2025."
Councillor Mike Bird, Leader of Walsall Council
"Our priority remains to deliver a balanced budget and to keep any council tax increase as low as possible. Having a multi-year funding settlement will help with medium-term planning but the current uncertainties in core funding and rising demand on many of our services, particularly within adult social care and children’s services, means that setting a balanced budget won’t be easy."
"Every council has a statutory responsibility to set a balanced budget, and I am confident that our track record of strong and robust financial management will achieve this. Consultation is an integral part of the budget setting process, and I’d encourage anyone who lives, works, studies or does business in the borough to take part in our budget consultation and let us know your views. “
Due to the level of uncertainty around government funding going forward, Walsall Council has not indicated a proposed council tax increase.
Outlined in the budget is the draft capital programme for 2026/27 to 2029/30. This has been reviewed, with a focus on optimising limited internal resources and leveraging external funding, including £100.466m in grant-funded projects.
A number of operational savings proposals are also included in the proposed budget; these total £28.244 million in 2026/27 and £61.822 million over the four years to 2029/30.
A six-week public consultation to seek feedback on the proposals begins on Thursday 16 October 2025 and will remain open until midnight on Sunday 30 November 2025. Feedback from the consultation will be considered and an updated budget will be provided to Cabinet in January 2026. The final 2026/27 budget will be presented to Cabinet on Wednesday 11 February 2026 and then to Full Council on Thursday 26 February 2026.
