Norfolk County Council has approved its budget for 2026–27 following a meeting of full council today.
The budget delivers a balanced financial position, with £42.3 million in savings and efficiencies and £76.3 million of targeted investment to support essential services and strengthen Norfolk’s economy.
Councillors also agreed a 4.998% increase in council tax, reflecting the Government’s funding assumptions for the year and the continuing reliance on local taxation to maintain core services.
Councillor Andrew Jamieson, deputy leader and cabinet member for finance, said:
“This is a budget based on fiscal responsibility, a long-term strategy, grounded in realism and discipline.
It reflects the financial environment we are operating in, not the one we would like to be in. It protects and develops essential services while continuing to invest in Norfolk’s future.
Local government has faced nearly two decades of constrained funding alongside rapidly rising demand. The scale of savings is unprecedented – and it becomes harder every year.
This budget has required difficult decisions and new ways of working across every part of the organisation – but it is a budget that is deliverable, responsible, and honest.”
The budget was approved with a vote of 39 for, 3 abstentions, and 13 against.
