The previous section of the plan set out our ambitions or 'what we will deliver'. This section describes how we will deliver.
We provide a variety of services, from those offered to all residents to those assisting individuals who need specialist support. We focus on supporting people to live well and independently, whilst having a clear ‘offer’ when their needs change. To do this, our Council operating model is underpinned by a ‘think prevention’ approach and broadly divides our services into three categories: universal, targeted and specialist:
Universal services are those offered to all residents and provide the foundation upon which successful, sustainable communities are built.
Targeted services are there to help residents to get things back on track and try to ensure temporary difficulties do not escalate to become long-term issues.
Specialist services are received by residents who need specialised support, such as adults with long-term health issues and children with special educational needs and disabilities or those needing support and intervention from social workers.
The Council must achieve financial sustainability to deliver on our ambitions. We need to ensure that costs stay within available funding, whilst still delivering the services that people need.
Like many councils across the country, our budget is under significant pressure due to the increased demand for essential services, including social care, and increasing costs. This is demonstrated by the fact that over three quarters of our budget is spent on delivering Children's Services and Adult Social Care. These are vital statutory services, so it is important we deliver to a good standard.
In December 2024 we asked the Government for Exceptional Financial Support (EFS) to help us manage our 2024/25 pressures and balance our 2025/26 budget.
We had our application for £48.273m of EFS approved in principle by government in February 2025. Of this total, £15.615 million relates to 2024/25 and £32.658 million will be for 2025/26. This will allow us to use capital resources, either from borrowing or the sale of assets to fund day-to-day spending, which will help strengthen the Council's financial resilience and create a £10m transformation fund, to be used for activities that result in ongoing cost savings.
EFS is only a temporary solution, and the Medium-Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) predicts a gap of £3.44m in 2026/27 and £12.84m in 2027/28. There are also significant risks to our funding on the horizon, with major reforms to local government funding from 2026/27 that could have a serious impact on the amount of business rates income we retain locally.
There is also a major risk relating to Dedicated Schools Grant funding, used to support children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). We await details of the Government's intended approach to SEND reform which will be set out in a white paper in autumn 2025, together with further details of how local authorities will be supported as the SEND funding system is reformed.
There are urgent steps we must take now to tackle our spending pressures. Through the Corporate Delivery Board, we are making savings that will help us deliver a balanced financial position for 2025/26 and onwards. We will take opportunities to maximise income where possible and appropriate. We will also continue to lobby the Government to ask for the appropriate level of funding to meet our local needs.