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RESOLVED that Cabinet
–

 

a)      
approves the updated financial forecast, as set out
in Appendix A to report A.2, along with savings, cost pressures for
2025/26, 2026/27 and 2027/28, and the proposed transfers to / from
the Corporate Investment Fund(s), as set out in Appendices B, C and
D respectively that form the firm proposals for the 2026/27 budget
and recommends to Council a Band D Council Tax for district
services of £205.48 for 2026/27 (a 2.99% increase), along
with the associated council tax requirement of
£11.244m.

 

b)      
authorises the Portfolio Holder for Corporate
Finance and Governance, to agree the ‘technical’
appendices and resolutions associated with the budget proposals for
recommending to Full Council on 17 February 2026;

 

c)      
authorises the Chief Executive, in consultation with
the Portfolio Holder for Corporate Finance and Governance, to
report directly to Council in respect of the formal resolutions
necessary to implement the Executive’s budget proposals
including any further amendments emerging from additional
information becoming available and/or notifications received from
the Government;

d)      
authorises the Portfolio Holder for Corporate
Finance and Governance, to agree / adopt any necessary local
business rate relief schemes for 2026/27, including where changes
to reliefs may be necessary to reflect further Government decisions
/ announcements;

 

e)      
notes the revocation of the Essex Business Rates
Pool in 2026/27, due to the significant risks introduced by the
Government’s Business Rates ‘Reset’ and
decision-making timescales associated with the Local Government
Finance Settlement; 

 

f)        
in respect of the cost pressure of £0.300m in
2026/27 relating to the Investment in Assets (General R&R
Priority Items), as set out within Appendix C, authorises the Chief
Executive, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Corporate
Finance and Governance to allocate this funding across the various
associated schemes;

 

g)      
in respect of the existing budget in 2025/26 that
was identified to support the delivery of highlight priorities,
agrees that £0.450m be set aside to provide the necessary
additional resources to support the successful delivery of Local
Government Reorganisation (LGR) activities and objectives, whilst
safeguarding continuity of the Business as Usual (BAU) operations
of the Council;

 

h)      
in respect of g) above, agrees that the allocation
of this funding be delegated to the Chief Executive to enable any
associated recruitment / procurement activities to be undertaken;
and

 

i)        
acknowledges this Council’s and its Statutory
Officers’ obligations to a successor Unitary Council as part
of the current LGR proposals, including those that are expected to
emerge within legislation / associated structural orders along with
the Council’s proposed in-principle response as set out
within the main body of the report (A.2).