Devon’s proposed budget increases support for vulnerable groups

Devon County Council has approved a proposed budget for 2025/26, which includes a significant increase in funding for the county’s vulnerable adults and children. The Cabinet meeting, held on Wednesday, January 8, saw an overall 5.9 percent increase in spending on local services, which totals more than £784.1 million.

The budget highlights several key areas for additional investment, with adult services receiving an 8.2 percent increase, children’s services seeing a 5.5 percent rise, and climate change, environment, and transport benefiting from a 3.4 percent boost.

Cabinet Member for Finance, Councillor Phil Twiss, explained that the £66 million additional funding would help meet the rising costs of inflation, the national living wage increases, and the growing demand for services. However, he stressed the importance of balancing the budget, saying that savings, alternative funding, and additional income of £21.7 million had been identified to help ensure the overall investment remains affordable.

"The Government’s provisional settlement for local councils appears positive with a 4.66 percent increase in Devon’s core spending power," Twiss said. "But in reality, Devon received the lowest increase of all 21 county councils nationally, particularly with the loss of more than £10 million in Rural Services Delivery Grant."

Angie Sinclair, Director of Finance, highlighted the ongoing pressures from inflation and national living wage increases. She noted that despite inflation having decreased in recent years, social care remains heavily impacted by rising costs.

“There is additional funding of £44 million or 5.9 percent for services next year, compared to the adjusted base budget,” Sinclair said, adding that this increase was above the current inflation rate of approximately 2.5 percent. She confirmed there were no plans to deplete the council’s reserves to cover spending, reaffirming the council’s commitment to “living within our means.”

The full council will debate the budget next month, and further discussions will take place to ensure the proposed spending aligns with Devon’s priorities.