• In 2025/26 it will be:
• Hampshire County Council – 71.54p
• Police and Crime Commissioner for Hampshire – 12.24p
• Winchester City Council – 7.27p
• Parishes and Town – 5.05p
• Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue – 3.90p.

Winchester City Council is presenting a balanced budget for 2025/2026 and a stable position for the following year; which includes continued investments in council plan priorities.

Across the country, the financial landscape is particularly challenging for local government.

Winchester City Council is not without its pressures - particularly the uncertainty about future funding, with no indication of settlements beyond this next year.  

However, through careful financial management, the council can present a balanced and stable budget for the next two years.  After 2027, we are estimating there will be a £3 million funding gap by 2028.

To prepare for this, we’ve launched an ongoing Transformation Challenge 2025 (TC25) programme – that has already identified ongoing annual immediate savings of £0.857m which have been removed from the baseline budget.

Transformational changes over the next few years are underway, which include plans to improve our online services, so people can easily do their council business at a time that suits them (and freeing up traditional methods for those who don’t need face-to-face or telephone help). This includes online services for planning matters, making submissions of applications easier and the processing of them more efficient. Invest to save funding is set aside to support this programme.  

Council Tax

Council Tax at Band D for City Council services for 2025/26 will be increased to £163.66, an increase of £4.30 per year, reflecting an average (below inflation) Council Tax increase of 2.7%.

The 2025/26 budget continues to invest in the aspirations of the council plan:

• Council Plan Priority – Greener Faster

We are investing in expanding recycling and food waste collection, planning to reduce carbon emissions of our waste vehicle fleet.

• Council Plan – Living Well focus

Recognising the ongoing cost of living pressures, we’re setting aside budget for a council tax support fund, extending the exceptional hardship fund for struggling households and capping annual increase in rent.

• Council Plan – Good Homes for All priority

Additional support has been allocated for the council’s homelessness prevention strategy.

Hampshire County Council website

Hampshire and Isle of Wights Police and Crime Commissioner website

Link to Hampshire Fire & Rescue