Council sets budget to invest in roads, care, and jobs

Vital investment in key care services, road schemes and boosting local jobs are at the centre of Dorset Council’s 2026/27 budget proposals, published today.

A record total of £482m will be spent running services in Dorset – with around 60% of that providing care for the elderly, and vulnerable adults and children.

Major road improvements and safety works will also be funded and car parking charges frozen for a further year.

Council tax will rise by 4.99%, meaning a Band D home will pay an extra £2.02 per week more than last year.

“We are proud to be investing in services that are highly valued by our residents and highly regarded by independent inspectors – our children’s services are rated as “outstanding” and our recycling is among the best in the country,” said Dorset Council’s Cabinet Member for Finance, Cllr Simon Clifford.

“We are very open about the unfair funding we get from government – this means that we have no choice but to raise council tax each year. Even though Dorset is a rural county, with the oldest population in the country and poor transport links, this is not recognised by government. Dorset deserves fair funding - but it is not getting it.”

The budget papers show extra investment of:

• £12m spent on adults and housing services
• £5m spent on children’s services
• £1.7m supporting children and young people with complex needs. 

Cllr Clifford said that efficiencies and transformation at the Council will generate significant savings – which will be further invested into frontline services. The papers also highlight £67m invested in major building or capital schemes, including:

• £8m to complete the new recycling centre in Blandford
• A further £6m to complete major safety works at Dinah's Hollow on the C13 in North Dorset.
• £7.7m for the Bridport reablement centre.

Alongside these investments, the proposals focus on simplifying customer services and reducing back-office processes, tightening contract spend, using automation and AI where sensible, and removing long standing job vacancies.

The budget reports go to the People and Health Scrutiny Committee on 21 Jan and the Place and Resources Scrutiny Committee on 22 Jan. The final budget proposals will be considered by Cabinet on 29 Jan. All papers will be published on the Dorset Council website.