On 27 February 2026, Cheltenham Borough Council approved a £23.6 million budget for the upcoming financial year to fund local services and community projects across Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. The spending plan, which starts on 1 April 2026, focuses on protecting essential services and supporting town projects despite a funding gap of more than £1 million.
The new budget includes a 2.99 per cent increase in the council tax charged by the borough, which is the maximum amount allowed without holding a public referendum. When combined with a 4.99 per cent increase from Gloucestershire County Council and a police charge of £340.58, residents living in a Band D property will pay a total annual bill of approximately £2,352.58.
To balance the books, the council will use roughly £1 million from its reserve savings and will increase the cost of various local fees and charges in line with inflation. These financial changes come as local elections in the town are set to go ahead in May as planned, following a government U-turn on an earlier decision by Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Steve Reed to postpone them during a consultation on council structures.
The council has committed to building 70 new energy-efficient affordable homes at the former Monkscroft school site and launching a new youth cafe pilot. This work is part of the No Child Left Behind initiative, which runs alongside continued investment in the Golden Valley innovation project and local climate schemes.
About this article: This story was put together with the help of AI tools and checked by a real person on our team. We're a small crew trying to cover as much of the UK as we can on a limited budget. We're getting better every day - but we're not perfect yet. If something looks off, let us know. You're part of the process.
