Budget approval gives green light to investment in communities

Derby City Council has approved its budget for the next financial year, which it says includes investments that will make a noticeable difference to residents.

The three-year Medium-Term Financial Plan (MTFP) from 2026/27 to 2028/29 invests heavily into areas such as community safety, the cultural sector and improving streets and public spaces, as well as protecting essential services.

The council said it can make these investments because it has benefited from the Government’s Fair Funding Reforms, and a move to three-year funding settlements.

The approval of the budget follows a consultation period, which included a special online Talking Business Live, organised by Marketing Derby, where the city council’s leadership set out their spending proposals.

Councillor Nadine Peatfield, council leader and cabinet member for city centre, regeneration, strategy and policy, said: “For years the council has had to make some very tough choices to protect the services that we have to a statutory duty to provide, such as social care, which affect some of the most vulnerable people in our city.

“These services are vital to the people who use them, and their families, and we need to ensure we can continue to deliver them as best as we can.

“However, the changes in the way the Government is funding councils means that for the first time in years we’re able to put some funding into services that most residents will notice as soon as they step outside.

“We’ll be providing more Public Protection Officers, and will be monitoring CCTV cameras for longer, to help people feel safer on our streets.

“We’ll be sprucing up our city with more weeding, improving our parks and open spaces – all the things to help us build a city to be proud of.”

The budget will result in Council Tax increasing by 4.99%, with 2% of this ringfenced for social care.

However, the council recently approved plans to expand Derby’s Council Tax Support Scheme, to better support lower income households in the city.

Councillor Kathy Kozlowski, cabinet member for governance and finance, said: “In general, the financial landscape for councils remains challenging, with increases in demand, inflation, interest rates and prices making it more expensive to provide essential services.

“While we can afford to make investments, we still need to make savings, boost our reserves, and run our finances as efficiently as we can.

“Increasing Council Tax is never something that is taken lightly, and this year we’ve put measures in place to support more of our lower income households.

“However, it is necessary to make sure we can make the most of government funding available to us, protect our most vulnerable residents, and invest in areas where it’s needed.”