Cambridgeshire County Council has launched a public engagement survey to ask for residents' opinions on where it should prioritise spending and savings in the years ahead.
Every year, the council must set a legal budget which balances spending needs against income from council tax, which accounts for around one-third of council funding, business rates, government grants, and fees and charges for some services. These funding sources collectively support a wide range of services including children’s and adult social care, education and SEND services, libraries, highways, public health, regulatory services and waste management and recycling.
With a growing population and rising demand for services, particularly in children's social care and SEND services, the council continues to face difficult decisions about how to balance all of priorities at a time when costs also continue to rise.
The majority of our day-to-day spending is required to support children’s and adult social care, education and SEND, and with the remainder the council has to maintain the highways network and deliver valued community-based services, including libraries and registration services. In addition to these challenges and achieving the right balance between investing and saving, the council also faces ongoing uncertainty about the Government's plans for Local Government Reorganisation in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.
The draft Business Plan will propose a budget for 2027-28 and set out our medium term financial strategy through to 2029-30 focussed upon delivering the council's vision of a healthy, fair and sustainable Cambridgeshire and the three ambitions of our Strategic Framework.
The annual Quality of Life Survey provides a strong foundation to provide insights and inform our business planning process, ensuring that the voices of people and communities is central to our thinking. The most recent survey captured the views of thousands of residents who continue to hold positive views about where they live, feeling safe and feeling more informed about the work of the county council with many trusting the council to make decisions about local services and recognising it provides value for money.
Councillor Lucy Nethsingha, Leader of Cambridgeshire County Council, said: "Every year, the council has to set our business plan and a balanced budget, which is increasingly challenging as demand for services grows and costs continue to rise. Despite these challenges, over recent years the council has provided much needed stability in an increasingly uncertain world, and we remain in a stronger financial position than many councils across the country.
"We are not immune to the significant cost and demand pressures faced by local government and must make careful decisions about how we use the finite resources available to us. It is so important that residents have their say so that we can better understand what matters most to people and the priorities they believe are important for the Council. Your feedback will help inform our business planning and budget-setting process, as councillors consider how best to plan and fund our services for the years ahead.
"We hope as many residents as possible will take part in the survey, making their voices heard and informing future decisions about the council’s services across Cambridgeshire."
The Engagement Survey will be in two phases. Phase 1 closes on 15 November 2026.
Follow this link to have your say: Business Plan and Budget 2027-28 to 2029-30: Phase 1 Engagement - Your Voice - Cambridgeshire County Council - Citizen Space
