Cabinet backs budget that would raise council tax by 4.7%
Bridgend County Borough Council’s cabinet has approved revised budget proposals for the 2026-27 financial year that would see a recommended 4.7% council tax increase for residents and a net revenue budget of just over £408m.
The settlement from the Welsh Government has increased Bridgend’s funding by 4.6%, but council leaders say pressures remain. The cabinet signed off the final package on 17 February 2026 after a public consultation that attracted more than 1,200 responses.
How the money would be split
The proposals set out headline allocations for directorates and services, with education and social care taking the largest shares of the proposed budget.
| Directorate / Service | Proposed allocation |
|---|---|
| Education, Early Years and Young People | £167m |
| Social Services | £127m |
| Communities | £38m |
Pressure on services and proposed savings
Despite what the council has described as a comparatively positive settlement from Cardiff, the proposals identify continued financial pressure of £13.6m alongside necessary reductions of just over £2.3m. To bridge the gap, the council is proposing a package of savings and reviews, including:
- a review of home-to-school transport arrangements
- a review of CCTV provision across the borough with additional funding sought from South Wales Police
- an assessment of council building use and potential asset releases
- targeted efficiencies in social services support functions
Some charges for residents could rise: the proposals include a 10% increase in certain residential and non-residential social services charges. The cost charged for emergency road closures would rise significantly from £647 to £1,662.
What a 4.7% rise would mean for households
The council says the 4.7% increase equates to around an extra £1.73 a week for a Band D property. The originally signalled rise in January had been 4.95%, which has been trimmed in the revised package.
Local residents who took part in the consultation ranked schools and education as their top priority, followed by the maintenance of roads and pavements—issues that the council says have informed the final proposals.
The cabinet’s approval moves the plan on to the next stage of scrutiny and full council consideration. If adopted, the budget would set the financial framework for council services across Bridgend for the year ahead.
