Cabinet approves council tax rise of 16p per week
Cabinet councillors at Eastbourne Borough Council have agreed a council tax rise of 16p per week. This 2.99% increase for 2026/27 equates to an extra £8.55 a year for a Band D property.
Cabinet today (February 11) agreed a balanced budget for 2026/27 and announced that the council has repaid in full the exceptional financial support it received due to the unprecedented costs of temporary accommodation.
Councillor Daniel Butcher, Cabinet Member for Finance, Resources and Community Wealth Building, said: "We have ensured that the council remains on a firm financial footing while continuing to invest in key priorities such as housing, homelessness prevention, economic growth, climate action, and support for our most vulnerable residents."
In response to the homelessness and temporary accommodation emergency the council launched a national campaign for fairer funding and working with hundreds of other authorities to urge government intervention. This joint effort contributed to major national changes including the removal of unfair interest charges on exceptional financial support loans and new commitments on homelessness and rough sleeping.
Councillor Stephen Holt, Leader of the Council, said: "I am delighted we have successfully moved away from exceptional support, but we cannot ignore the wider pressures on residents' pockets. It remains a source of frustration that while our portion of the bill is rising by just pennies a week to maintain local services, the much larger share taken by East Sussex County Council continues to place the heaviest burden on Eastbourne households. And at the same time, the county council is seeking a staggering £70 million from the government in exceptional financial support this year with no plan on how to repay this debt."
The budget will be considered by Full Council on February 25.
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