Every pound counts. We want to spend it where it matters most to you.
By law, we must set a balanced budget - just like a household, we can’t plan to spend more than we bring in. We forecast income and costs like a weather forecast, planning for best and worst cases.
All our spending is subject to external audit and public scrutiny, and we publish both our budget and detailed accounts on our website. You can also listen to the meetings of our Finance Sub-Committee and read the committee papers to understand how all our spending is scrutinised.
The challenge ahead
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Current forecast: £2.3m gap by March 2026 (less than one percent of our £427m budget).
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Next year’s gap could rise to £33m, driven by rising demand and inflation. This means tough decisions ahead. That’s why we’re asking you to have your say on how we balance our budget.
Over 2,200 people shared their views in our budget prioritisation survey. We’ve also developed detailed proposals to balance the budget, consulted on them, and held community assemblies in Crewe and Macclesfield.
Your feedback will go to committee meetings in January. A final decision on the budget will be made at the council meeting on 26 February, with the agenda and papers published five working days before.
Past consultations have influenced previous budgets. We publish the results of all consultations on our website, where you can see the impact they have had.
Community assemblies are being held in Crewe (November) and Macclesfield (December) for invited residents from our digital influence panel. Sign up to the panel if you are interested in attending future assembly events.