Annual Plan

Our annual plan sets out what we aim to achieve in the next financial year, through our work programmes and associated budgets.

Annual plans are effectively an update on the forecasted work and financial information in the Long-term Plan. All councils are required to have a Long-term Plan. It is a ten-year plan, reviewed every three years and it outlines priorities, levels of service and budgets.

This Annual Plan for 2026-27, is Year 3 of our 2024-2034 Long-term Plan.

Councillors set the rates for the 2026-2027 financial year and adopted the Annual Plan 2026-27 at a Council meeting on 24 June.

The forecasted rates increase in the Long-term Plan for the 2026-27 year was 12.6%, which Councillors reduced to 3.25%.

The Council was acutely aware of ongoing cost of living pressures for the community and prioritised and carefully timed the 2026-27 work programme to keep costs down, while maintaining services.

As there are no significant changes to the work programme from the Long-term Plan 2024-34 (LTP), the Council did not publicly consult on the Annual Plan.

On 2 September, councillors approved two amendments to the Annual Plan to correct errors identified in in the final stages of the document’s development. The corrections made no impact on the 3.25% rates increase or the council’s planned expenditure for the year which was approved in June.