Consultation for draft budget set to be launched

Views are being sought by Cornwall Council on a plan for to save £50m in its budget for 2026/27.

The authority said its draft budget would go out for public consultation between December 29 and January 27.

It said the draft budget would have investment in services which were "critical for residents", including more than £37m to continue the transformation of adult social care services, along with plans to reduce spending through efficiencies.

The council said the consultation would be made available on its Let's Talk website.

Council deputy leader Adam Paynter, portfolio holder for resources, said the draft budget and medium-term financial plan which was "honest about the pressures Cornwall faces".

Paynter, an Independent, said the budget was "firmly focused on the future" and protecting services which residents relied on.

"For the first time in a decade, government has provided local authorities with a multi-year financial settlement," he said.

"We have used this opportunity to produce Cornwall's first comprehensive spending review, including a draft budget which is balanced over every year of the three years of the medium-term financial plan.

He added it would be a "major turning point" for the council.

Paynter said: "It gives us stability, it allows us to plan ahead, and it will help us continually improve our services, so they will be more efficient and more responsive to people's needs."

The council said savings would be made through "modernising working practices".

Paynter added: "These savings will come from adapting and improving the way we work, from generating more income where appropriate, and from transforming the way services are delivered.

"They will not come from endlessly chipping away at frontline services, but from a transformation programme that will help us modernise and redesign how we work, making more and better use of data and technology so we can ensure every pound is spent wisely."

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