Draft business plan and budget proposals that would see continued investment in libraries and anti-poverty initiatives, were scrutinised and supported by a majority of Communities, Social Mobility and Inclusion committee members – who today (Thursday, 15 January) put forward their views for consideration by the Strategy, Resources and Performance committee on 29 January.
The Communities, Social Mobility and Inclusion committee has a significant role in supporting, protecting and developing community resilience. This is why the council plans to continue to prioritise:
- Investment in library facilities across the county. Many residents interact with the council through an extensive network of libraries. Continuing to fund a £1.3M programme to improve facilities throughout 2026/27, will enable the council to further expand the range of services available locally. Improvements are programmed for libraries in Wisbech, March, St Ives, Bar Hill, and Cottenham. Alongside these physical upgrades, the council is investing in technology to improve the customer experience, including a new events website and updated self-service kiosks.
Other proposals include:
- Delivery of anti-poverty initiatives across Cambridgeshire, including rolling out the Government’s new Crisis and Resilience Fund, which is replacing the Household Support Fund, and is expected to shift support towards preventing people from falling into financial instability and poverty. An ongoing £1.7M investment which continues in 2026/27 will enable income maximisation work delivered through Citizens Advice to continue, help the council to provide small grants that bring to life community projects, and ensure the voices of people at greater socio-economic disadvantage are heard in development and delivery of new policies.
- Savings of £155k to be found through a review of posts within the council’s Communities, Libraries and Skills teams.
- Investing £87k to provide capacity and expertise for the Trading Standards service to protect consumers by tackling unsafe or illegal practices, such as ensuring product safety enforcement, carrying out food standards checks, animal health and welfare oversight, and licensing for petroleum and explosives
At its meeting in December, members of the Strategy, Resources and Performance Committee began debating the draft business plan and budget. This plan has now been scrutinised by the Communities, Social Mobility and Inclusion committee.
The feedback from all the council’s January policy and service committees, as well as feedback from our online public consultation and the views of Town and Parish Councils, other local and public authorities, business representatives and trade unions will be debated again by the Strategy, Resources and Performance committee when it meets at the end of January. This committee will then put forward the final draft business plan and budget for debate and decision at the Full Council meeting on 10 February.
Cambridgeshire County Council’s 2026-27 business plan and budget will identify where to spend £1.2billion to deliver services and support for residents and communities across the county.
Next year, there is a projected significant increase in costs due to a growing population and increasing demands – particularly in children’s and adults’ social care.
Nearly two thirds of our spending goes towards social care, while other major areas of spending include Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), home to school transport, and highways maintenance.
For 2026/27 we have remaining budget gap of £6.4million that we need to address. That means we must continue to make difficult choices about levels of council tax and where we can generate additional income, as well as where we invest and where we make savings.
Cllr Alison Whelan, Chair of the Communities, Social Mobility and Inclusion Committee at Cambridgeshire County Council, said: “We are making sure the council stays financially sustainable by taking a prudent, long-term approach to business and budget planning that is informed by our residents’ priorities, so we can keep investing in and prioritising core services.
“Many of the services that fall under this committee are supported by Government grants and I’m pleased to see grants in place that ensure the continuation of key services in the year ahead such as Safe Accommodation for Victims of Domestic Abuse, the Adult Skill Fund and the High Intensity Users team.
“Today we’ve also recommended continued investment in our library facilities and the delivery of anti-poverty initiatives across Cambridgeshire – but we’re committing to strong financial management to balance the books and find significant savings by reviewing job roles across a number of teams.
“Government has recognised it needs to respond to the SEND crisis nationally but has yet to share what that will mean for councils, schools or parents and carers. The current lack of Government funding for these vital public services means that for 2026/27 the council will face a further £22 million in financial challenges than were identified in February 2025. That means further and even more difficult decisions about how to allocate resources and balance its budget will be required.
“We are committed to ensuring the council delivers value for money in the services it provides. That is why this committee supports the proposals today.”
The views of all policy and service committees, the views of residents, partners and business representatives, and the details from the Local Government Finance Settlement will be put before the Strategy, Resources & Performance Committee on 29 January so it can make a final recommendation on the business plan and budget to Full Council, which meets to debate and agree this plan on 10 February 2026.
More information on the council’s proposals for the coming year: Council considers next stage for the budget proposals and refreshed vision
You can read the papers from today’s committee meeting on our website, and rewatch the meeting on our YouTube channel.
