Contents

  1. Issues of the medium term financial strategy
  2. Medium term financial strategy
  3. Change in financial planning assumptions
  4. Budget pressures, growth, inflation, council tax and business rates
  5. Collection fund
  6. Fees and charges
  7. Risk Strategy
  8. Reserve and contingency strategy
  9. Transformation
  10. Capital programme
  11. Treasury
  12. Strategy milestones
  13. Risk and mitigation measures
  14. Comments of the director of finance and corporate services
  15. Comments of the monitoring officer
  16. Summary of legal implications

12. Strategy milestones

The timeline of this year’s budget setting cycle is outlined in the table below. Reports will be taken to Overview and Scrutiny as required.

GroupMonthComment
Cabinet and Corporate Leadership TeamJuly to September 2025Leader, Cabinet Members and Officers to review Service Reviews and identify saving/efficiency options
All Member BriefingtbcMedium Term Financial Strategy update to include results of Service Reviews, Fees and Charges, further efficiency/savings and Capital Bids
Public Cabinet23 October 2025Medium Term Financial Strategy update to include results of Service Reviews, Fees and Charges, further efficiency/savings and Capital Bids
Public Cabinet27 November 2025Medium Term Financial Strategy update to include results of Service Reviews, Fees and Charges, further efficiency/savings and Capital Bids
General Purposes and Audit Committee28 January 2026Council Tax and Business Rates Bases
Public Cabinet26 January 2026Medium Term Financial Strategy update – post draft local government settlement
Finance and Corporate Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee04 February 2026Draft Treasury Management Strategy
Public Cabinet23 February 2026Capital and Treasury Management Strategy; Agree & approve the 2026/27 budget and Medium Term Financial Strategy
Full Council4 March 2026Agree and approve the 2026/27 budget and Medium Term Financial Strategy