Status: Current
The council continues to tackle its funding gap between the money we get in and the services that we offer to Rother. We are consulting you on our draft revenue budget for 2026/27. We would like feedback on any potential impact that the council might not know about. This consultation is open from 27th November to 12 noon on 5th January 2026.
Overview
Our budget for 2026/2027 amounts to around £50 million, which will be spent on a wide range of services for our residents, businesses and communities.
The annual budget helps us to make the best use of resources and ensure that we are able to deliver on the priorities set out in our Council Plan:
- A Thriving Local Economy – We will continue to make the most of the significant investment in our district, creating the right conditions to grow our economy, boost skills, and deliver well paid jobs. The district will be recognised as a world class visitor destination.
- Live Well Locally – We will be recognised as an inclusive and fair district, planning the delivery of affordable homes and working with partners to support the wellbeing of our residents. We will enhance the quality of our residents’ lives by enabling the provision of good quality leisure facilities and access to open spaces.
- Green to the Core – By taking bold action to tackle climate change and protect the environment in all that we do, we will make the district climate-resilient and reduce council emissions to net zero by 2030.
Why we need to set a balanced budget
The council is legally required to set a balanced budget every year. This means that the amount we spend on services cannot exceed the funding and income we receive. By maintaining a balanced budget, we will be able to deliver essential services to our communities.
What we do with the money
The Council operates and supports many services below is a snapshot of where we spend the money we collect through our Council Tax.
In addition to the services noted above the Council also has estates and car parking services which generate a net income for the council so have been excluded from the chart.
The challenges we face
In recent years, the demand for our services has grown while the costs of delivering them have also increased. At the same time, there are ongoing financial pressures across the public sector and many local councils are facing a funding gap for services. These factors have created a significant gap between our financial resources and the services we deliver.
Progress so far
The council has published its proposals to fill the funding gap for its 2026/27 budget. Our goal is to find a budget shortfall of £694,000 through making savings and raising our income. You can find more information on the current position and our proposals in the Cabinet report Draft Budget Challenge Proposals 202627.pdf:
Our senior staff and Cabinet have been working since July to identify a range of savings, where we can increase income and identify where costs will have to go up. We continue to identify savings and income streams and more proposals will be developed over coming months.
We would like to hear from our council tax-payers and any local organisations that might be impacted by changes in the draft budget. Particularly, we draw your attention to the £687,774 in savings listed in Appendix A for Draft Budget Challenge Proposals 202627.pdf, the £493,050 in growth and spend to save items in Appendix B for Draft Budget Challenge Proposals 202627.pdf and proposed increases to fees and charges in Appendix C for Draft Budget Challenge Proposals 202627.pdf.
This is an early opportunity to have your say, while the budget is being written. As the report says, some government decisions that will affect the budget won’t be available until late December.
Main proposals budget that more directly affect residents
Savings
Some of the services the Council provides are required by law. The Council is considering a range of savings so that it can continue to provide these services. These savings are outlined below:
| Proposal | Saving |
|---|---|
| Reduction of 10% annually on the grant provided to the De La Warr Pavilion to support their ongoing operations | £48,000 p.a. from 2027/28 |
| Removal of Conservation grant to Rye Harbour Nature Reserve (through Sussex Wildlife Trust) | £1,070 |
| Saving on street cleansing contract in respect of Rye Sports Centre car park as no longer operated by RDC | £7,000 |
| Reduction in repairs undertaken on Street Naming | £5,000 |
| Reduce budget for Member Training by delivering training wherever possible through in-house expertise | £6,570 |
| Reduced canvassing work undertaken for electoral register (canvassing and associated travel costs) | £2,380 |
| Let surplus office space at Sackville Road, Bexhill-on-Sea | £10,000 |
| Increase income from estate (land and buildings owned by the Council) by 2% | £44,000 |
| Additional income anticipated in respect of service charges on our land and buildings let to third parties | £5,000 |
Growth
The Council has also found some areas of growth, where it needs to spend more money. This is because of things like contracts we must follow, more people needing helping, or new rules from the government. These areas are detailed in the table below.
| Proposal | Saving |
|---|---|
| Additional provision for the management of households presenting as Homeless and requiring Temporary Accommodation | £300,000 |
| New Noise App to support the Environmental Health team with sound complaints | £4,000 |
| New Housing App to support the Private Sector Housing Team with their new responsibilities under the Renters’ Rights Act | £7,000 |
| New Housing Enforcement Officer to support the Council fulfil new responsibilities under Renters’ Rights Act | £30,000 |
| Works to Sackville Road office to enable the letting to third party | £1,000 |
| Cleaning and Maintenance costs of new Camber Welcome Centre | £21,800 |
| Amendment to forecast level of income to be generated from Planning Income due to downturn in applications linked to economic climate | £119,000 |
In addition to the proposed growth items noted above, the Council also proposes to strengthen its Cyber security resilience (£70,000), invest in additional IT to improve our efficiency and services (£24,550) and enhance our Governance and HR resources (£144,300).
Income
The Council relies on a range of income streams not just Council Tax as demonstrated in the chart below.
Fees and charges
Fees and charges help the Council to get more money to pay for services. In 2025/26, they made up more than 20% of the money the Council could use. To help cover costs, the Council plans to increase some of the fees and charges. Some fees, like those for planning, are set by the government so the Council is unable to change them. The changes are listed below.
- All discretionary charges uplifted by inflation (anticipated to be between 3.5 and 4.0%) except for:
- Camber car parks summer tariffs to remain at current level
- Bulky Waste charges to be increased in line with the costs incurred by the Council (increases of between 4.75% and 7.0%)
- Pre-Planning Application Fees to be increased by 5%
- Local Land Charges to be increased by 6%
- Introduction of new charge to support charitable and sponsored walks on Council land minimising the charges to only £25 administrative costs
- Introduction of parking charges for Beeching Road car park and Bexhill Leisure Centre Car Park (leisure centre users would remain exempt from the charge)
Invest to save project
The Council is also considering an invest to save proposal for the introduction of RV (Camper van) parking at two of our existing car parks, Galley Hill in Bexhill-on-Sea and Camber Western Car Park.
These ideas are still being fully explored but they are expected to cost £60,000-£120,000 to implement, incur annual costs of around £10,000, and generate between £27,000 and £68,000 per year depending on the options selected.
Council Tax Rise
The Government funding that the Council receives assumes that our council tax will increase next year by the maximum permitted sum we are permitted to without holding a referendum (currently anticipated to be 2.99% or £5 per annum, but we await confirmation of this through the Government’s formal announcements in the coming months).
To take part
Take part using our online survey – https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/Budget2026/
Please email any questions, written or lengthy responses to consultations@rother.gov.uk
You can write to –
Budget 2026 Consultation
Rother District Council
Town Hall
Bexhill-on-Sea
TN39 3JX
Or hand in your responses to the Town Hall in Bexhill.
How to Take Part in this Consultation
Take part using our online survey – https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/Budget2026/
Please email any questions, written or lengthy responses to consultations@rother.gov.uk
You can write to –
Budget 2026 Consultation
Rother District Council
Town Hall
Bexhill-on-Sea
TN39 3JX
Or hand in your responses to the Town Hall in Bexhill.
