The council’s net budget for 2025 to 2026 is £417.2 million, with substantial investment earmarked for essential frontline council services which local residents and businesses rely on.
As a council we currently deliver around 450 services to over 380,000 residents. Waste collection, road maintenance, planning, housing, libraries, and adults’ and children’s social care are just some of the services which support the smooth running of our local communities.
It continues to be a tough financial climate for councils with inflation, higher National Insurance costs, and the ever-increasing need for social care services, particularly with our growing older population in Dorset.
The new funding arrangements set out by government in the Local Government Funding Settlement means we rely heavily on the revenue generated by council tax and retained business rates to raise the vital funds needed to deliver services to the residents of Dorset.
How Council Tax is affected
This year, the Dorset Council element of council tax is increasing by just under 5 per cent (3 per cent plus 2 per cent for the adult social care precept). This increase equates to £1.91 extra per week for a Band D property, just under the maximum the government allows councils to make.
Financial support
Help is available if you are experiencing difficulties due to the cost of living crisis
How the budget is funded
The net budget total is £417.2 million, you can view the sources of funding using the pie chart, or a table.
| Source of funding | Budget / percentage | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Council Tax | £342 million (82%) |
The money we receive from our residents to pay for the services we provide |
| Retained Business Rates | £70.2 million (16.8%) | The money we receive from businesses such as shops, offices, hotels and factories, to pay for the services we provide |
| New Homes Bonus | £3.2 million (0.8%) | Specific grant from central government |
| Revenue Support Grant | £1.8 million (0.4%) | The funding we receive from central Government in the form of Revenue Support Grant |
How the budget is spent
You can see how the budget is spent in the infographic, or a table.
| Service provided | Budget |
|---|---|
| Adult social care | £159.6m |
| Children's social care | £72m |
| School travel and public transport | £41.1m |
| Street cleaning, waste collection and disposal | £35.4m |
| Education and learning | £15.3m |
| Environment and wellbeing | £8.3m |
| Customer services, libraries and archives | £7.9m |
| Housing | £7.7m |
| Planning | £6.1m |
| Properties | £5.5m |
| Highways and parking | £5.7m |
| Communities and Public Protection | £3.5m |
| Supporting businesses and creating jobs | £2.4m |
| Corporate Services and Central Finance (includes Revenues and Benefits, Finance, Procurement, Human Resources, IT, Legal and Democratic Services) | £46.7m |
| Total net budget | £417.2m |