Wiltshire Council has approved its £567 million 2026/27 budget after a dramatic and closely fought Full Council meeting this afternoon, Tuesday 24th February.
Councillors voted 50 in favour and 48 against to pass the Liberal Democrat administration’s financial plans, committing £567m to services supporting residents, communities and businesses across the county.
The razor-thin result came shortly after the Conservative group’s fully costed alternative budget was defeated by the same two-vote margin.
Because the administration’s budget passed, a conditional no-confidence motion against council leader Ian Thorn was not triggered, and he remains in post.
Shortly after the budget vote, the council’s official social media channels published a statement saying the 2026/27 budget had been approved and detailing how £567m would be invested across the county.
The post also stated that Full Council had approved a 2.99% general council tax increase, plus a 2% Adult Social Care levy.
However, at that stage councillors had not yet formally voted on the council tax element - prompting an immediate reaction from Conservative group leader Richard Clewer.
Addressing the chamber, he said: “I would normally be standing up and saying 'fine' but after that press release, I am sorry, the arrogance of that press release saying we have voted in favour before we have, is shocking so simply by protest I will be voting against.”
Councillors then proceeded to vote on the council tax increase itself. The proposal - a 2.99% general increase in the Wiltshire Council element, plus a 2% Adult Social Care levy was approved by 51 votes to 45, with two abstentions.
The combined rise represents a total 4.99% increase in the Wiltshire Council portion of council tax for 2026/27.
Earlier in the meeting, the Conservative group had taken the unusual step of proposing a full alternative budget rather than amendments.
Their proposals included halting refurbishment plans for St Stephen’s multi-storey car park in Trowbridge, scrapping extended parking charges and Sunday fees, introducing a highways “lane rental” scheme for utility companies, investing £6.2m per year in highways maintenance from revenue rather than borrowing, removing the £75,000 household recycling centre booking system, and protecting community transport grants.
The alternative budget was defeated 50–48.
Speaking before that vote, Cabinet Member for Finance Cllr Gavin Grant warned of risks in the Conservative proposals. He said: "There is risk in the alternative, there is risk to our staff and delivery in the alternative. There is no real risk in the administration’s budget and on that basis I reject the amendment and urge you to support the budget when we get to it.”
During debate on the administration’s budget, Cllr Sam Pearce-Kearney said: “I am supporting this budget not only because it is a budget of this administration, but it is also a product of consultation with our residents and our elected youth council who had a dedicated meeting to the budget and shared their worries and ideas.
“Maybe we should have involved other political parties earlier, but what we now have seems to be a collaborative effort because we have included some of Richard’s ideas.”
Cllr Grant later told councillors: “If there are further savings to be found, further assets to be sweated to deliver more, I want them found.
“Whichever way you cut this, this council is almost completely balanced so we need to get along with each other and work as collaboratively together as we can.”
The session carried added political weight after a pre-tabled motion confirmed that failure to pass the administration’s budget would have triggered an immediate vote of no confidence in the leader.
Following the meeting, Reform Cllr August Urquhart-Nicholls commented: "I genuinely wish the Liberal Democrat administration had involved opposition members more meaningfully in shaping this budget. Instead, we were offered a token last-minute briefing once decisions were already locked in.
"This is their budget now. They can own the slashed bin collections that will leave streets dirtier and residents frustrated. They can own the new parking charges hitting families and businesses already strugglingt. They can own the HRC booking system that will render essential recycling inaccessible, and it will be the Liberal Democrats who will have to look residents in the eye and justify charging them more while delivering less. Residents in Calne won't forget this easily."
Conservative Cllr Ashley O’Neil said he was “deeply disappointed” that the Liberal Democrat administration had not engaged “meaningfully” with opposition members while shaping the budget.
“I am deeply disappointed that the Liberal Democrat administration chose not to engage meaningfully with opposition members while shaping this budget. In a council with no overall control, collaboration should not be optional, it should be the starting point.
“Instead, we were presented with a half-complete budget and then criticised for bringing forward a fully costed alternative, elements of which they then proceeded to adopt in order to shore up their own unbalanced budget.”
He added: “I am especially disappointed in Cllr Sam Pearce-Kearney. He had a clear opportunity to support an alternative budget that would have kept Lower Compton HRC open, maintained two-weekly bin collections rather than moving to three-weekly collections, abandoned the unpopular proposed booking system at our household recycling centres, invested an additional £1.2 million into highway maintenance, and avoided £15 million of borrowing for highways maintenance that will ultimately cost Wiltshire taxpayers around £60 million in repayments over 60 years, rather than funding it from the day-to-day revenue budget as the alternative proposed."
Cllr O’Neil also criticised what he described as celebrations in the chamber after the vote.
“Watching members of the administration applauding, congratulating themselves and taking photos in the chamber with fists in the air after passing a budget that reduces overall investment in highways, cuts the vital parish steward scheme, increases Sunday parking charges to match weekday rates, and extends charging hours from 7am to 7pm, along with a host of other damaging proposals, shows just how out of touch they are with the real world impact of the decisions they have taken today.
“For many residents, this will feel like paying more and getting less. Today was a missed opportunity to deliver something better for Wiltshire, and the Calne community area in particular will be especially hard hit by this.”
Further reaction from opposition members is expected.
The Liberal Democrat administration said the budget was responsible and necessary to protect frontline services while addressing ongoing financial pressures. The 2026/27 budget will now come into effect from April.
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