Cabinet to review budget plans for 2025/26

Article date: 19 February 2025

The Revenue and Capital Budget 2025/26 report which will be discussed at Cabinet next week sets out how St Helens Borough Council will continue to invest in supporting every resident.

The report sets out £115 million which is committed for investment in projects like the regeneration of St Helens and Earlestown town centres, school building improvements and supporting people to prosper while living in their own homes among others. This is on top of continuing to provide the hundreds of services residents use every day including green spaces, highway maintenance, recycling, business support.

The budget for this year comes as works will start on the once-in-a-generation transformation of St Helens and Earlestown town centres in the coming months.

It looks to build on supporting key areas such as SEND provision in our schools with funding to expand specialist secondary education provision at De La Salle, which follows on from the opening of new classrooms at Green Lane School last year that expanded capacity for SEND students that could potentially otherwise have to travel outside the borough for education.

Innovative ways of working with residents means the way we can support people can provide change that helps people to live in their own homes through things like tech enabled care, get the right help and continue to be involved in their community.

The report states: "The council has an approved capital programme which has already committed significant resources to support schemes for 2025/26 and future years, including the regeneration of both St Helens and Earlestown town centres, investment in highway assets and school re-building projects and improvements. The estimated value exceeds £203 million over the period 2025-2028."

The report also sets out the council's plans for Council Tax for 2025/26 with the recommendation for an increase of 4.99 per cent, this would include 2% to go towards funding the extra cost of adult social care. St Helens still has one of the lowest Council Tax rates in Merseyside, and this proposed increase in Council Tax would raise around £4.8m for services which otherwise would have to be cut. For approximately 85% of households the proposed rise would mean less than an extra 22p per day to help maintain vital services at a time of increasing demand.

Alongside the proposals Cabinet will also discuss plans for support for those who may be struggling to meet the full cost with a Council Tax reduction scheme in place.