What does your council tax pay for in 2025 to 2026?
Introduction by Keith Glazier, Leader
Changing lives for the better, even on a budget.
“James was in a terrible state.
“He would bang his head against the wall, spit and scratch. At the age of 15 he could barely speak or attend school.
“Life looked bleak for a young person living with profound autism, ADHD and learning disability. His foster father had died and James (not his real name) came to live in one of our children’s homes.
“This is what we mean when we talk about social care.
“It’s our legal duty to care for people in East Sussex who most need help and it explains why almost three-quarters of your council tax supports people like James through both childhood and adulthood.
“Care like this is intensive and expensive – about £7,000 a week in this case (though it would be at least twice as much in a private home).
“It’s not at all uncommon for councils like ours to spend more than a £1 million a year caring for a person who, through no fault of their own, needs the most support. People who are our relatives, children, friends or neighbours.
“The number of people who need care is rising, and the cost of providing that care is rising. Government funding for councils has shrunk over many years and we’ve now made savings of more than £150m since 2010.
“That’s why we have reluctantly asked for a five per cent rise in your council tax for the year ahead. This is about £1.70 a week for a typical (Band D) home.
“It’s also why we are limited in what we’re able to spend on some of the other services we provide – like roads.
“With huge regret, we’re still having to make savings from some of our frontline services and we know the difficulty this can cause.
“We expect to lose about 100 posts from the council over the next two years and we’re always finding ways to be more efficient. As an example, we’re closing large parts of our main office building to save money.
“Even so, our total budget for East Sussex and your services is more than a billion pounds. And we use it well – you can verify this by looking at some of the independent assessments of the county council’s work.
"And you can get an idea of how we help people almost every hour of every day by hearing from our staff themselves.
- Spend a day with us
“I’m proud of what we can do together, even with extremely limited resources.
“An example is what James has achieved since he came to live with us. With expert and dedicated support he’s now happier, safer and living a much better life.
“He no longer hurts himself, his speech is improving, he’s making friends and he can spend an hour a day in education. He loves trains, woodlands and music. As one of his care team says: “He knows that he’s at home and he feels safe.”
“I know that council tax bills add to your cost-of-living pressure: there is support available from your borough or district council for people facing the biggest struggle.
“But I hope James’ story shows how your council tax contributions help change people’s lives for the better.
“Thank you.”
- Hear more of James' story
An increasing budget funding gap
Central government have allowed local authorities to raise more from council tax as the gap has widened.
How we’re spending your money – and why
Everything the council does is focused on working towards four priorities we want to achieve for you:
- Driving sustainable economic growth
- Keeping vulnerable people safe
- Helping people help themselves
- Making best use of resources in the short and long term
The council provides services used by residents in East Sussex, including care and support to children, families and the elderly; maintaining the roads and providing library services; and working to boost the local economy.
Our Council Plan for the coming financial year, sets out the programme of things we’ll deliver, including:
- better bus services
- support for local businesses
- more investment in early support for children in difficulty and their families
- proactive integrated health and care support for vulnerable people
- activity to support people who are carers and,
- work to reduce the cost and carbon emissions of our buildings.
The year ahead
In 2025/26 the council (including schools) will spend £1,138.2m. This is the gross budget and nearly three-quarters of it goes on schools, Adult Social Care and Children’s Services, supporting the county’s most vulnerable residents who need particular care and support – including older people, people with mental health issues and learning disabilities and children and families.
The budget for 2025/26 includes raising council tax by 4.99% (2.99% council tax plus 2% Adult Social Care Precept), which is a total increase of £1.70 a week for a Band D property.
Our total planned net expenditure for the coming year is £579.6m. This is the money mainly contributed from council tax and business rates and allocated by the council. However, the funding made available to meet the required investment is not sufficient and reserves of £11.4m are required to be used in 2025/26 to set a balanced budget.
Our annual budget helps to fund a 10-year programme of capital spending – for one-off costs and projects like investment in road and transport infrastructure such as bridges and street lighting, providing the school places needed in East Sussex and essential maintenance of our libraries. This year, investment in infrastructure and assets of £112m will be spent through the capital programme, including:
- £34m on improvements and maintenance to highways, pavements and street lighting
- £47m on integrated transport schemes including bus services
- £19m on school buildings, including providing necessary additional school places.
How do you know your money is well spent?
The county council undergoes regular independent inspections, assessments and audits of its performance and efficiency. Some recent examples include:
The annual report by auditors Grant Thornton which recognised the very difficult financial future for the council but concluded there are no significant weaknesses in our arrangements for financial sustainability, governance or improving efficiency.
A team of officers from other councils visited the county council in 2023 for in-depth look at our operation. Their report was positive, finding that the council ‘does what it says it will, and does it well’ and is open, approachable and collaborative. Their recommendations included a greater appetite for risk and transformation.
Charges per council tax band
| Band | General expenditure | ASC Precept* | Total council tax 2025/26 |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | £ 1,050.00 | £ 194.70 | £ 1,244.70 |
| B | £ 1,225.00 | £ 227.15 | £ 1,452.15 |
| C | £ 1,400.00 | £ 259.60 | £ 1,659.60 |
| D | £ 1,575.00 | £ 292.05 | £ 1,867.05 |
| E | £ 1,925.00 | £ 356.95 | £ 2,281.95 |
| F | £ 2,275.00 | £ 421.85 | £ 2,696.85 |
| G | £ 2,625.00 | £ 486.75 | £ 3,111.75 |
| H | £ 3,150.00 | £ 584.10 | £ 3,734.10 |
* On 3 February 2025, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government announced, as part of the final local government settlement 2025 to 2026, that Councils would be able to charge a 2% Adult Social Care Precept in 2025/26.
You can see how your council tax band is worked out on GOV.UK.
The council tax you pay is based on the value of your house in 1991. If you have any questions about your banding please contact the Valuation Office Agency.
Finding out more
Should you have any questions about the budget please contact us.
Email: Finance
For questions about your council tax speak to your local district or borough council. Their contact details are on our council tax page.
You can find out more about the work we will be doing over the next three years in our Council Plan, which will be published on our website by 1 April, along with full details of our budget for the year ahead.
See: