Rotherham Council asks residents how it should spend next year’s £359m budget
A consultation is running until Friday 9th January 2026
Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council has launched a consultation to ask residents how they would like to see the authority spend its £359 budget for the next financial year.
The consultation, which runs until Friday 9th January 2026, asks people across the borough to share their views on which services should be protected, where investment is most needed, and where savings could be made as the council faces continued financial pressures.
The £359m budget funds a wide range of services, from social care and street cleaning to libraries, children’s centres, parks and green spaces. Around six in every ten pounds spent by the council goes towards children’s and adults’ social care, while about 10 per cent is committed to unavoidable costs, including statutory levies.
Approximately 38 per cent of the council’s income now comes from council tax, with the remainder drawn from business rates and government grants, something councils have increasingly had to rely on over the last 15 years.
Council leader councillor Chris Read said the authority had worked to keep household costs as low as possible:
“Over the last few years we have consistently kept council tax rises below the government’s referendum limits, and in the last two years we have had the lowest increases of any council in Yorkshire.
“Despite that, and the ongoing funding challenges that all councils are facing, we have been able to carve out some cash to respond to the needs of our communities.
“Since 2010, Rotherham Council has had to make in excess of £200 million of savings, forcing difficult choices to be made. We are still facing significant uncertainty about our budget position for the coming year. So we need to hear from as many people are possible; what are the services that you most value? What are the challenges you want us to address? And what wouldn’t make your priorities when cash is tight?”
The council is currently forecasting a £900,000 overspend for the current financial year, driven by rising social care demand, delays to waste service changes and the impact of the national Local Government Pay Award.
Feedback from the consultation will be used to shape the proposed budget, which will be decided during a full council meeting on March 5.