BCP has set out it’s proposals for a ‘balanced 2026/27 budget’.
Amidst the budget setting this year, the Council have stressed that budget priorities will be focused on protecting support for vulnerable children, families and adults. The budget is designed to give residents confidence that essential care, support and day-to-day services will continue whilst also investing into BCP.
If proposals are approved, the council will spend £452m running services for more than 400,000 residents across Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole. The majority of the budget will be protecting vulnerable people, with the main aims being to protect key services such as social care, waste collection and transportation.
BCP council are among many local authorities feeling the financial pressures, largely they claim, due to the funding gap for delivering Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) services. BCP Council alone has a historic SEND deficit of £183.6m coupled with a forecast shortfall for 2026/7 of £95.7m, creating a total estimated deficit of £380m by 31 March 2028.
Council Leader Millie Earl
Cllr Millie Earl, Leader of BCP Council, said: “We are taking a prudent and pragmatic approach to our budget that focuses on getting the basics right and spending our residents’ money on their priorities.”