Buckinghamshire Council’s Cabinet holds first meeting

A number of key reports were discussed and considered by the new Cabinet, including the council’s Annual Report and a summary of its financial performance during the 2024/25 financial year.

The Cabinet recognised the excellent level of achievement and firm foundations the new council has inherited following the May elections, and paid tribute to the work of the previous administration.

Council Leader Steven Broadbent highlighted a number of achievements in the Annual Report, which covers the full range of services and projects delivered under Buckinghamshire Council’s four core priorities:

• Strengthening our communities
• Protecting the vulnerable
• Improving our environment
• Increasing prosperity

The annual report is an update on the over-arching Corporate Plan which acts as a golden thread for all the work and services that the council delivers to improve lives and have a positive impact on Buckinghamshire and its people.

The Cabinet also considered the ‘2024/25 Budget outturn’ report which documents the significant achievement in balancing last year’s budget against a context of considerable pressure and volatility. While portfolio budgets were overspent by £6.5m, primarily from Children’s Social Care, Home to School Transport and a smaller than forecast income from parking services, these were offset by overall savings made across the council’s spending.

Overall, the council successfully delivered £147.1 million of investment during 2024/25 on capital schemes, progressing major projects such as new South East Aylesbury Link Road and key town centre improvements that include the upgrade of White Hart Street in Wycombe and the creation of the new ‘Pavilion Quarter’ in Aylesbury Town Centre.

Commenting, Buckinghamshire Council Leader Steven Broadbent said:

“It’s been really good to reflect on the overall position of this council that my new administration has taken on as we get our work underway. During the Cabinet meeting I was keen to pull out some of the detail within the Annual Report to raise wider awareness of the breadth of the work of this council and the improvements and initiatives we are delivering every day. I urge residents to read the Annual Report to get a full picture of where their council tax is being spent. New school places, tackling loneliness, equipping leisure centres with solar power; these are just a small snapshot of the detail within.

“We also welcomed the solid financial performance of Buckinghamshire Council, ending the last financial year with a balanced budget amidst significant pressures on local authority finances. This is testament to our careful management of taxpayer’s money in Buckinghamshire.

“We still have to make tough choices and we are legally obliged to deliver a balanced budget, which we’ve only been able to do by delivering substantial savings of £116.5 million since becoming a unitary council in 2020.

“I am committed to providing our residents with the best, most efficient and cost-effective services we can - from those that touch everyone’s everyday lives like bin collections and roads and transport to those support services that some of our residents rely on. The budget is in a good place through robust and meticulous management allowing us to take forward our plans, with our residents’ priorities and value for money at the heart of all we do.”