Understanding the council’s budget - 2026-27

Local councils need an income to provide services for local people. The money comes from Council Tax and business rates as well as the fees charged for certain services. A small amount also comes from grants issued by central government.

Each year we set a budget to decide how much money to spend on delivering services for Thanet's residents and businesses. This includes recommendations about financing those services and spending on new proposals. The budget is considered by Full Council in February each year, before being implemented in April.

We have drafted a budget proposal for the next financial year (April 2026 to March 2027). This includes an additional £1.2m of investment in key areas to address recurring budget overspends in areas where the council has a statutory duty to provide the service.

In October 2025, we invited 7,000 local people to tell us what matters most to them, in our annual Residents' Survey. The budget proposal considers some of the feedback that we received.

This new survey is an opportunity for local people to review the proposed budget and share their views on ongoing investment and one-off spending. 

Alternative formats of the survey questions can be requested by calling the council’s Customer Services team on 01843 577000.