Swale Borough Council formally approved its 2026/27 budget on February 20, 2026, to protect essential local services for residents in Sittingbourne, Kent. The decision ensures that core community provisions like weekly bin collections, street cleaning, and homelessness support will continue throughout the year.
The local portion of the council tax for a standard Band D home will rise by 2.96 per cent, which brings the annual cost to £212.76 for Swale services. According to Swale Borough Council, this funding is necessary to maintain frontline work such as food safety inspections and the upkeep of local parks and play areas.
Specific improvements are planned for the Sittingbourne town centre, including upgrades to public toilets and local open spaces. The budget also includes money to develop the Stones Farm Countryside Gap, which is a new area of green space recently taken over by the council for public use.
In addition to physical upgrades, council leaders highlighted their ongoing commitment to supporting families, noting that they helped more than 5,000 households with energy costs and worked to clear £43,000 of water debt for struggling residents over the past year. Swale Borough Council noted that while their portion of the tax is increasing, the total bill also includes larger amounts for Kent County Council, the police, and the fire service.
