The Finance and Procurement Select Committee met to scrutinise an alternative budget proposal for Wiltshire Council for the 2026/27 financial year, presented by Councillor Richard Clewer. The committee also considered two amendments to this alternative budget, one concerning green energy tariffs and another regarding residual waste collection frequency.

Wiltshire Council's Budget 2026/27: Alternative Budget Proposals and Amendments

The primary focus of the meeting was the detailed examination of an alternative budget for the 2026/27 financial year, put forward by Councillor Richard Clewer, Leader of the Conservative Group. This alternative budget was presented as a response to the budget proposed by the Cabinet, with Councillor Clewer highlighting several areas of concern with the administration's plan, including a £5.7 million funding gap over the Medium-Term Financial Strategy (MTFS), front-loaded savings, increasing borrowing pressures, and unspecified budget lines for savings.

Councillor Clewer's alternative budget aimed to provide a balanced three-year financial plan, proposing an additional £10 million in savings over the MTFS period. Key proposals included:

• Increased Highway Maintenance Funding: An additional £4.2 million in revenue funding for highway maintenance over the MTFS period, intended to reduce reliance on capital borrowing and associated interest costs.
• Staffing Savings: An additional £2.5 million in savings related to staffing in 2026/27, with a further £7.5 million over the remainder of the MTFS. Councillor Clewer stated that while £1.6 million of the 2026/27 savings were considered deliverable by officers, details for the remaining £0.9 million were still being developed.
• Adult Social Care Reforms: Proposals to review commissioning strategies, introduce outcome-based step-down clauses in care contracts, and implement early reviews of care packages at six weeks. These measures were anticipated to save £2.5 million in 2026/27 and further amounts in subsequent years.
• St Stephen's Multi-Storey Car Park: Deletion of a £2.7 million capital allocation for maintenance and a further £2.4 million for feasibility studies related to demolition and rebuilding. Instead, £100,000 was proposed to challenge the covenant requiring parking on the site.
• Melksham Bypass Re-profiling: Re-profiling the capital allocation for the Melksham Bypass scheme, arguing that government plans for the project were not progressing. This would allow Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funding to be reallocated to depots, freeing up £1.2 million annually for highways investment.
• Lane Rental Scheme: Introduction of a Lane Rental scheme, projected to generate £1.2 million in additional income in 2026/27, with £750,000 to be reinvested in highways maintenance.
• Second Homes Council Tax Premium: Removal of the assumed revenue from applying the second homes council tax premium, citing issues with its implementation in other councils.

Several Cabinet members responded to the alternative budget proposals. Councillor Ian Thorn, Leader of the Council, welcomed the debate but expressed concerns about the overall deliverability of the alternative budget, particularly regarding staffing savings and cost controls in adult social care. Councillor Mel Jacob, Deputy Leader of the Council, echoed these concerns and requested more detailed information on the impact on service delivery and workforce pressures. Councillor Gordon King, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, raised concerns about proposed changes to commissioning strategies during a period of market stabilisation. Councillor Helen Belcher OBE, Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Regeneration and Assets, sought clarity on the plans for St Stephen's Multi-Storey Car Park.

The committee also considered two amendments to Councillor Clewer's alternative budget:

• Amendment D – Green Energy Tariff: Proposed by Councillor Mike Sankey, this amendment sought to remove the council's green energy tariff, which would result in a saving of £0.03 million in the Mid-Term Financial Strategy 2027/28. The committee noted that this proposal had been discussed at previous meetings.
• Amendment E – Residual Waste Collections: Proposed by Councillor Ed Rimmer, this amendment sought to reverse the administration's proposal for three-weekly residual waste collections. This would introduce a budget pressure of £1.306 million in 2027/28 and £2.096 million in 2028/29, which would be mitigated by Risk Contingency funding.

At the conclusion of the discussions, the Select Committee resolved to thank members for their budget proposals and note that they had been scrutinised. They also resolved to ask Full Council to take note of the committee's comments as presented in the attached report.

Public Participation

A statement was read out by Councillor Andrew Griffin, speaking as a resident of Melksham and a town councillor for Melksham South Ward. He expressed strong opposition to the proposed deletion of £235.836 million allocated for the A350 Melksham Bypass Scheme within the alternative budget. Councillor Griffin highlighted the significant traffic congestion and air quality issues in Melksham, arguing that cancelling the bypass was a destructive and short-sighted decision. He urged his fellow Conservative councillors whose divisions the bypass route traverses to support his views.