Published: Friday, 27th February 2026
We have agreed the budget for 2026/27, which sets out spending plans for the coming year.
The Borough’s part of the council tax bill will be £157.44 for an average Band D property, an increase of 2.99%. Despite the significant financial challenges that the council faces, it continues to remain one of the lowest in the country.
Cllr Alistair Beales, Leader of the Borough Council, said:
“We put forward a proposed budget that I described as responsible and realistic in challenging times. We have prioritised what residents tell us is most important to them – delivering our core services and supporting the people who need most help.
“This has meant we needed to take some difficult decisions but we have been honest and open about this by asking people for their views, and showing we have listened. And by facing up to our challenges we remain on course to deliver our ambitions for West Norfolk, while ensuring that our finances are sustainable.
“This was a budget with local people at its heart: I’m pleased that councillors agreed and supported our approach.”
The budget is part of the council’s Medium-Term Financial Strategy (2025–2030), which reflects:
- Changes to government funding through the new ‘Fair Funding’ system
- A full reset of business rates from April 2026
- Inflationary pressures and uncertainty beyond 2027/28
The council identified £2.78m of savings and efficiencies for 2026/27 alongside continued work to control costs, generate income and deliver services more efficiently.
Council Tax Support will continue at 100% to protect the most vulnerable residents, and the council will create a new, £500,000 community fund as well as maintaining its existing grants programmes for local organisations. The council tax premium charged on second homes will continue to be invested in supporting people who are at risk of being made homeless and in helping the council to deliver more affordable homes for local people.
The council has made provision to ensure it can continue to support major capital projects, such as its ambitious housing programme – which includes a significant number of properties for affordable rent – and regenerating heritage assets.
As part of its medium‑term approach, the council will also make planned and controlled use of reserves. This means that general reserves will reduce but they are forecast to remain above the level required.
Cllr Chris Morley, the council’s Cabinet Member for Finance, said:
“A core part of the council’s income is council tax, which it collects on behalf of a number of organisations. For every £1 collected, around 93p goes to Norfolk County Council, the Norfolk Police and Crime Commissioner and parish councils.
“Of the 7p in each £1 that is allocated to the borough council, more than 3p is taken up by a levy to pay for Internal Drainage Boards (IDBs). In real terms, that levy equates to the loss of £3.9million income. While supporting the important work of IDBs, the borough council does not agree that they should be funded by West Norfolk council tax payers: areas without IDBs have no such levy and keep the full council tax allocation. This is an issue on which the council continues to lobby central government.
“We have written to the government about the issues we face, which include having nearly half our council tax income being used to fund Internal Drainage Boards, uncertainty due to local government reorganisation and dealing with the outcome of the government’s funding review, which caused last-minute pressures that needed to be accommodated.
“Fortunately, we have planned our finances prudently. Thanks to the work of officers and members that enabled us to identify a further £2.78m of savings, we have been able to present a balanced budget.
“As a result, we have been able to introduce a new, member-led Community Fund of £500,000 , allowing all councillors to apply for funding to support projects in their wards. This will complement other schemes, such as the Councillor Community Grants programme of £1,000 per councillor to give to projects in their ward, the Small Grants Programme and the CIL programme, which supports local infrastructure projects.
“This focus on fiscal responsibility is enabling us to continue delivering on the vision we set out in our corporate strategy in 2023 – to create vibrant communities and successful, growing businesses. We have delivered a budget that meets today’s challenges while keeping an eye on the future to ensure we can continue to support the needs and aspirations of the people of West Norfolk.”
The budget was agreed at a full council meeting on 26 February.