Cheshire East Council is inviting residents, businesses, voluntary organisations and other stakeholders to have their say on detailed budget proposals for the next four years, as the authority works to close a significant funding gap and deliver sustainable services.
Following strong engagement in the recent budget prioritisation survey – which attracted more than 2,200 responses – the council is now consulting on specific proposals that will help shape a balanced budget amid ongoing financial pressures and rising demand for services.
Councillor Nick Mannion, leader of Cheshire East Council, said: “Every pound we spend is a careful choice. The budget we agreed in February 2025 was shaped by your feedback, and now we need your views again to guide the difficult decisions ahead. We know you care deeply about the services we provide, and we want to ensure your voice is heard.”
Councillor Michael Gorman, deputy leader, added: “We’re facing a forecast funding gap of £18.2m for 2026/27 – down from £33m earlier this year – thanks to hard work and early savings. Major challenges remain. Social care is a legal duty and a lifeline for many of our most vulnerable residents. So when demand rises, caring for people comes first. Talking and listening to residents about these proposals will help us to strike the right balance when decisions are made in February.”
The council’s latest financial review shows an overspend of £2.3m for the current year, even after £25.3m of exceptional financial support from government. To move away from reliance on one-off support and to meet the best value duty, the council is proposing a mix of savings, income generation, and transformation.
What’s changing and why?
Key actions include:
Workforce savings: Saving around £8.3 million by managing vacancies when people leave or retire.
Income generation: Maximising income from services that the council charges direct fees and charges for, ensuring that the full cost of providing those services is covered by the fees we charge. From January 2027, fees and charges will be set for the year ahead each January. Together, these changes are set to raise an extra £1.25m.
New commercial opportunities: For example, using council-owned land to create habitats and sell environmental credits to developers, expected to raise £1m in 2026/27.
In addition, the council is continuing with a number of multi-year measures.
Service-specific proposals for savings, including:
- Adults and health: £11.8m through prevention programmes, learning disability service transformation, and commissioning reforms.
- Children and families: £3.8m through placement reviews and new accommodation models for young people.
Council-wide transformation proposals, including:
- Investment in digital enablement and automation to improve customer experience and efficiency, delivering savings of £13.5m in 2026/27.
- Initiatives include web enhancements and Digital Customer Enablement, service redesign, and streamlined processes.
How to have your say!
Residents can view the proposals and access the consultation at: cheshireeast.gov.uk/budget
The consultation closes at 9am on Wednesday 17 December.
Community assemblies are also being held in Crewe (in November) and Macclesfield (in December) for invited residents to discuss the budget – information on how to join future events can be found on the budget webpages.
