Exeter council tax to rise as Devon County Council approves increase in 2026/27 budget

Council tax bills for households in Exeter are set to rise from April after both Devon County Council and Exeter City Council approved their budgets for 2026/27.

Devon County Council has agreed a 4.99 per cent increase in its share of the precept, with the final budget vote taking place on February 24. 

The authority says the rise will help fund significant investment in roads, drainage and children’s services across the county.

The county council is proposing £15 million for targeted highway maintenance and a further £4 million for drainage improvements, alongside a total of £268 million for services supporting children and young people. 

This includes a focus on special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) provision and education services.

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The council says the budget is designed to improve road management, strengthen communication with communities and increase accountability around highway maintenance. 

It has also reaffirmed its commitment to libraries, including restoring the book fund and supporting library services during a period of transition.

The provisional financial settlement for 2026/27 was received in December 2025, with councillors confirming that the budget is balanced.

For Exeter residents, the largest portion of their council tax bill will continue to go to Devon County Council. For a Band D property in 2026/27, the county council’s share will be £1,891.17.

Meanwhile, at its annual budget meeting held at the Exeter Guildhall, Exeter City Council also set a balanced budget for the year ahead.

The city council’s share of a Band D bill will rise by 2.99 per cent – an increase of £5.55 a year, or around 11p a week. This brings its portion to £191.31, representing 7.6 per cent of the total council tax bill.

Council Leader Phil Bialyk said consultation with residents had helped shape the proposals and insisted the authority continues to offer one of the lowest council tax rates in the country.

“We have continued to deliver excellent services for residents and communities in the city,” he said. “Despite everything we do as a local authority, Exeter continues to set one of the lowest Council Tax rates in the country.

“After years of tough and difficult decisions, we are in an enviable position of not having to cut services for the remaining life of this Council.”

The overall Band D council tax bill in Exeter for 2026/27 will be £2,495.36 – an increase of £109.91, or 5.01 per cent.

The full breakdown is:

• Devon County Council – £1,891.17
• Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner – £303.20
• Exeter City Council – £191.31
• Devon and Somerset Fire Authority – £109.68

City councillors heard that the budget would support key priorities including helping residents with the cost of living, leading on climate action, building new council homes, protecting green spaces, investing in culture and leisure, and maintaining stable governance.

Among the projects expected to progress over the next year are plans to expand and relocate the Materials Reclamation Facility (MRF), develop a new Wonford Community and Learning Centre, and relocate the Civic Centre to the council-owned Senate Court offices in Southernhay.

A new £130,000 “Pride in Exeter” fund has also been announced, allocating the equivalent of £10,000 per ward to support neighbourhood improvements. 

Residents and community groups will be able to apply for support with small-scale works such as repairing fences, clearing overgrown areas and tidying public spaces.

Cllr Bialyk said: “Exeter is already a clean and tidy city, but with more resources there’s always more than can be done. This extra resource is in addition to all the usual cleansing operations the Council carries out – it is an extra resource for non-essential but important work that improves the quality of life for residents in our communities.”

The council leader also pointed to achievements over the past year, including more than £526,000 awarded to nearly 4,850 households to help with living costs, retrofitting 152 council properties, planting 799 trees and collecting 99.9 per cent of waste successfully. Food waste collections have now been rolled out to around 44,000 homes.

Looking ahead, Cllr Bialyk acknowledged that Exeter City Council is due to be replaced by a new unitary authority in 2028 as part of local government reorganisation.

“Our legacy will be handing over this authority in a sound way,” he said. “Under our leadership Exeter has thrived in the past, and I know that it will continue to thrive in the future.”