Published on Monday 09 February 2026
Government have announced that it will give BCP Council permission to increase Council Tax above the approved level of 4.99% by an additional 1.75% without a referendum, should it wish to. For Council Tax Band D, this 6.74% council tax rise for 2026/27 will mean £10.42 per-month.
While we are still looking at the detail, we estimate this rise will provide just under £5million to support essential services.
Government also announced that it could contribute 90% (£165.2m) towards the historic SEND deficit, subject to an approved SEND local reform plan, but has yet to confirm when we will receive this support.
Cllr Mike Cox, BCP Council Portfolio Holder for Finance, said:
“Our priority has always been to get the basics right and that means having the financial stability to deliver vital services.
“This stability was threatened by the growing Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) debt, and we have been calling on government to take this seriously.
“We therefore cautiously welcome today’s announcement that national government will partially tackle its responsibility for the SEND deficit.
“However, to receive this support we must provide a local SEND reform plan, and we haven’t yet been given the detail behind this.
“Even if we were successful in getting the full 90% of the debt written off, our initial calculations show that would leave us with at least £38m debt remaining on 31 March 2028 for service that is the government’s responsibility.
“We also welcome the news on Council Tax flexibility as it means we can continue to protect our most vulnerable adults, children and families while keeping our streets safe and clean and our Council Tax bill still remains below the national average.
“While at face value this is good news, we must recognise that this simply closes a budget gap we were filling with reserves. Our finances remain tight and pressures on our frontline services continue. Our SEND deficit will continue to grow unless the whole system is reformed.
“We recognise that this government has listened to some of the concerns we have raised, with the support of our local Bournemouth MPs, and the government is taking positive steps to address the situation.
“We will now consider the government’s announcements as part of the budget proposals at Cabinet and Full Council.”