Our Budget 2026-27

Overview

Slough Borough Council is facing a financial gap of at least £20.5 million next year.

Most local authorities are experiencing cost pressures at the moment and Slough has additional challenges it has faced in recent years. Despite these pressures, we have a legal responsibility to set a balanced budget. That means we need to make some difficult decisions about what we spend. As well as savings, we are also looking at other funding, staffing and income generation opportunities.

We want your views on the council’s initial savings proposals for 2026/2027, which total £12.029m with a further £2.070m in Slough Children First.

Initial proposals for the council’s finances for the next financial year have been published. Check out the cabinet report from 15 December. These have not yet been approved, and will be subject to further consideration, including this survey, before they are finalised.

The revenue budget covers annual income and spending from day to day running of the council. Capital budgets, which will be reviewed in February, include income and spending which provides service or economic benefits, often over a longer period. 

The council budget covers funding for services, fees and charges, Council Tax rates, and spending. Some elements are ring-fenced for specific areas, such as the Designated Schools Grant (DSG) and the Housing Revenue Account (HRA).  

The total revenue budget proposed for the next financial year  will be confirmed when Cabinet meet to discuss the budget in February.

Between now and Budget Council, the proposals will be worked on and discussed at council meetings, including Cabinet on 16 February 2026.  

During the months ahead, we will also be asking your views on some of the different proposals being put forward and proposals for related work for changing the way the council works and delivers services in the borough to become a more efficient organisation. You can view other budget related surveys on the Our Budget page.

Data Protection

This questionnaire and the information we collect will be used for the purposes of evidence-based decision making on Slough Borough Council’s future focus, approach and priorities. We are committed to the principles of the Data Protection Act 2018 and UK General Data Protection Regulations. By continuing to complete this questionnaire and submitting your responses, you are consenting to us processing this data.

This will be used to make decisions in a public forum and the results will be published online and anonymous data may be accessed by third parties to validate the results of the survey.

We will only retain the data collected for as long as is necessary and, after the period determined by our Data Protection Officer, this data will be destroyed in accordance with our IT and Information Security Procedures.

Please refer to our data privacy notice on our website for further details on how we protect your privacy.

If you have any concerns or questions about how we look after your personal information, please email DataProtectionOfficer@slough.gov.uk