Each council sets a budget every year: how much to spend on each service and how much council tax to charge. Council tax pays for about a third; most of the rest is a grant from the Welsh Government and business rates.
The Cabinet proposes the budget, usually in the winter, and the full Council agrees it and sets council tax by early March. Scrutiny committees examine the plans first.
Most councils run a budget consultation in the autumn or early winter. Your councillors vote on the final budget, so tell them what matters to you.
| Council | Items | With a decision |
|---|---|---|
| Vale of Glamorgan | 58 | 20 |
| Swansea | 45 | 3 |
| Cardiff | 41 | 33 |
| Carmarthenshire | 10 | 2 |
| Gwynedd | 7 | 1 |
| Blaenau Gwent | 5 | 5 |
| Ceredigion | 4 | 3 |
| Bridgend | 4 | 0 |
| Powys | 4 | 1 |
| Monmouthshire | 3 | 0 |
| Rhondda Cynon Taf | 2 | 1 |
| Torfaen | 1 | 1 |
| Neath Port Talbot | 1 | 1 |
Decided: Cabinet approved the change to the design brief for the Gowerton School (Secondary) Sustainable Communities for Learning project. It approved and committed a revised sum of £2,523,285 for the pre-construction phase to the capital programme. This is £4,557,600 less than the £7,080,885 approved on 17 July 2025.
Decided: Cabinet approved receiving and committing the £2,962,397 additional 2026-27 Welsh Government grant to the capital programme for school repairs and maintenance, subject to the final grant award and conditions. It noted that schemes are still being developed. These may include roofing at YGG Bryn Tawe, works at Cefn Hengoed Community School, school-identified priorities such as toilet upgrades, early design for 2027/28 schemes, health, safety and safeguarding risks, and new heating for four primary schools on oil-fired boilers. It delegated to the Director of Education and the Director of Place the choice and priority of schemes. It also delegated to the Director of Finance and the Director of Education the power, if needed, to swap up to £1,533,800 of the grant for core capital funding already allocated to Education projects. The equivalent unsupported borrowing would move to the 2027-2028 programme.
Resolved that: 1) The comments and variations, including the heightened material uncertainties, set out in the report and the actions in hand to seek to address these, including now severe spending restrictions be noted. 2) The virements and the use of the contingency fund as set out in Paragraph 17 and the Inflation provision as set out in Paragraph 28 subject to any further advice from the Section 151 officer during the year be approved. 3) The need for all Directors to continue to minimise service spending in year, recognising that the budget overall is currently balanced only by relying on future likely (but far from wholly assured) reimbursement from Welsh Government, centrally held contingency budgets and reserves be reinforced. 4) The indicative position set out in Paragraph 34 with further actions to be confirmed in subsequent quarters once it is clearer as to the likely final cost of the pay award pending be noted. 5) The position of the current capital programme set out in the report be noted. 6) The reprofiling of capital project budgets across the years in the existing programme, where the forecast reprofile is within the approved budget be approved. 7) The budgets for inclusion in the capital programme for the fully funded and completed grant schemes set out in Appendix E (these represent Welsh Government grants awarded very late in 2025/26 that had to be spent in that period) be approved. 8) Power be delegated to the Section 151 Officer to determine deviations from spending restrictions in consultation with the Chief Executive, Leader of the Council and relevant Cabinet Member(s).