Priorities and Budget 2026-27

Open for comments from Tuesday 7 October to Sunday 16 November 2025.

Cambridge City Council is setting its General Fund budget for 2026-27. It uses the budget setting process to decide how much to invest in each of its services to best meet the needs of the city’s residents, communities, economy, environment and nature in accordance with council’s vision and strategic objectives. 

To meet its statutory duty to balance the budget, the council will need to make recurring savings of £0.75m in 2026-27 and a further £0.75m in 2027-28.

This consultation is asking for your views on how the council should prioritise its spending for the 2026-27 budget year and beyond.

Rising demand for services and historic public sector austerity means the City Council, like many councils, faces increasing financial pressures on its revenue budgets. Between 2016 and 2022, the previous government reduced the City Council’s core spending power by 17%.

At this time, Cambridge was also experiencing the fastest population growth in England. As a result, in 2025-26 we have £6.7 million less to spend than we would have done had our funding kept pace with inflation.

In the face of this pressure, we have invested to improve the economy, efficiency and effectiveness on how the council is managed and its services are designed and delivered. 

The savings made along with a review of fees and charges enabled the council to set a budget for 2025-26 that will deliver savings of £4.9 million every year. The City Council is delivering this saving without large cuts to frontline service council services whilst accommodating some unavoidable revenue pressures.

The council is committed to continuous improvement in service outcomes and fulfilling its duty to balance the budget. The council is setting a target to save £1.5 million per year by 2027-28 towards a 5 year forecast savings requirement of £3.6m.

Where the council’s money comes from

The council will spend approximately £113.4 million on delivering services in Cambridge in 2025-26. The council’s money comes from various sources including fees for services, business rates, government grants and council tax.

In 2025-26, the Council Tax for a Band D property in Cambridge is £2,355.41 per year of which Cambridge City Council keeps £232.13. The council tax makes up just 9% of the City Council’s income.

You can find out more about where the city council’s money comes from and how council tax is distributed on our website.

Council homes

In addition to the income above, the council is also landlord to more than 7,500 council homes. The law requires that the rent paid by our tenants is kept separately to pay for housing services, such as repairs and maintenance, and cannot be spent on other council services.

Similarly, it is not permitted to fund housing services from council tax. These rules ensure fairness both for council tenants and taxpayers. Those funds are not within the scope of this survey.

The council provides services to 14 wards identified in our ward map.

Have your say

Select the 'Take the survey' button to have your say.

A hard copy version of this survey can be downloaded here:

• Priorities and Budget 2026-27

If you are completing a hard copy survey, please return it to our Customer Service Centre in person or via post at the following address:

Communications and Engagement Team, Customer Service Centre, Mandela House, 4 Regent Street, Cambridge, CB2 1BY

The survey closes on Sunday 16 November 2025. Any responses received after this date will not be considered.

If you are in need of any further assistance, please email us at communications@cambridge.gov.uk.

The final report for this consultation can be viewed below. Findings were published in advance of the Scrutiny Committee on Tuesday 27 January.