2025/26 Budget agreed at Full Council

Date published: 20th February 2025

At North Norfolk District Council’s Full Council meeting last night, Members voted in favour of accepting the proposed budget for 2025/26 and raising the district Council Tax precept.

The budget setting exercise undertaken for 2024/25 showed that for the coming financial year, the Council would have to make substantial savings. Throughout the last year, it has carried out reviews of many of its services and how its assets are used.  

By finding savings in spending and generating more income, the Council has been able to deliver a balanced budget for the year 2025/26 and is forecasting to break even at the end the financial year 2024/25.  
 
Central Government provide some of the funding to cover local authorities spending, however the level of funding has been gradually reduced year on year. For 2025/26 the Government expects that Councils will increase their council tax levels by the maximum amount allowed when calculating what it gives to each Council. In not raising Council Tax, the Government will reduce funding for local authorities, meaning service provision may have to be reviewed in light of a lower income. 

Councillors voted in favour of increasing the District Council’s Council Tax by the maximum assumed by the Government. This represents an increase of £4.95 Band D household per year. This is less than 10 pence per week for all the services that the District Council provide. If you live in a Band A to Band C property the increase won’t be this much. 
 
The biggest pressure on Council spending has been the rising costs of temporary accommodation, for which only a fraction can be reclaimed from central Government. 
 
From April 2025, the Council will charge a 100% Council Tax premium on second homes, meaning someone with a second home will pay twice the Council Tax they did last year for owning a second home (unless it meets certain criteria). 

This levy is expected to raise £2.5m extra for the District Council and Norfolk County Council between them to spend in North Norfolk. - some of this will be used for temporary accommodation for local residents facing homelessness.  
 
Additionally, working with our housing partners, the Council will continue to look to see how it can provide new local housing through the Rural Exception Schemes like the recent Broadland Housing schemes in Northrepps and Hindringham, and the Flagship scheme in Warham. 
 
Cllr. Lucy Shires, Portfolio Holder for Finance, Estates & Property Services said:

“It is important we continue to ensure that the public is getting value for money in terms of public services, I want to thank all the Officers for their dedication to North Norfolk and the future sustainability of this Council.

Their work across our council to balance this budget and rise to financial challenges, means that we’re able to continue delivering great services and can continue to invest in North Norfolk.”
 
The Council has and continues to explore options with Town and Parish Councils, and community organisations to see if can share ownership of some assets or transfer them directly to the bodies to run them themselves.  
 
This has been done successfully in Hickling, where public toilets that were proposed for closure were transferred to the Norfolk Wildlife Trust’s management. 
 
While the budget for 2025/26 is balanced, the Council will continue to work hard to see how it can attract more external funding, make more savings and efficiencies across services and generate more income so that North Norfolk District Council can continue to deliver value for money for North Norfolk residents.