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Council Priorities 2026-2030

Budget Proposals Questionnaire

Please complete our short survey to give your views on our budget proposals. This survey will close on 27 January 2026.


Privacy Notice 

We will use the information you provide to inform Cornwall Council's budget for 2026-27 and the Medium Term Financial Plan 2026-2029.

The Data Controller for the information you provide in this survey is Cornwall Council, New County Hall, Treyew Road, Truro TR1 3AY. Data Protection Registration Number: Z1745294. Once the survey has closed, your data will be held within Cornwall Council’s secure network and premises for up to 2 years. Where we ask you to supply personal data on this form, we will only make access to this data available to authorised members of staff who are required to process it for the purposes outlined in this privacy notice. Please note that other information you provide, such as responses to open questions, may be published in full.


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Introduction

The Council provides public services that you, your family and friends use every day. These services range from ensuring the best start in life for children and young people, providing adult social care for our older or more vulnerable residents, ensuring a safe clean environment, maintaining many parks, beaches and public spaces, collecting your waste and maintaining a safe road system. Cornwall Council is also at the forefront of investing in the future of Cornwall: growing our economy and creating homes and jobs for local people. 

The Council provides services that touch nearly every part of your daily life. We manage council housing and support people facing homelessness, Support safer neighbourhoods and emergency planning, Provide fire and rescue services, Protect green spaces and wildlife, Handle planning applications and building regulations, Collect household waste and recycling, Attract investment and support job creation, Help local businesses grow, Support cultural organisations, local heritage and museums, Support children with special needs, Offer youth services and family support, Help older people and those with disabilities live independently, Provide social care and safeguarding services, Maintain roads, pavements, and street lighting, Run public transport and parking services.


As one of the largest unitary councils in the country, Cornwall Council has a gross budget of around £1.6 billion. This is called our day to day or “revenue” budget and it is used to provide services to more than half a million residents a year. 

We also use the revenue budget to fund the activities and services we need to be able to invest in the future of Cornwall. However, for those investments themselves, we have a long-term programme of capital works. The capital programme is funded from various sources, such as grants that we attract from the Government and other organisations, proceeds from the sale of existing Council assets, from borrowing and the use of reserves that we hold. 

Where our budget comes from and what it funds

We will always remember that the money we spend is your money. 29% of our income comes from the Council Tax paid by our residents. 18% comes from the business rates paid by our local business owners 43% comes via Government from the other taxes which you pay. Most of this can only be used for specific services like schools or housing benefit. 8% comes from the charges you pay to cover the cost of specific services like planning, licensing and parking. 2% comes from the other sources including investment income

Most of our services are now paid for through local taxes and charges.  

For every £100 we receive to fund services, we spend: £27 caring for adults who need our help; £28 helping children and young people get the best start in life they can; £12 building affordable homes, investing in our economy, major road schemes and schools; £8 on housing benefit, helping to prevent homelessness; £8 collecting rubbish and recycling, and looking after our countryside, parks and beaches; £5 fixing and maintaining roads, street lighting, and on public transport; £4 on fire and rescue services, and keeping our communities safer; £3 running the Council and holding elections; £2 on online services and improving customer access; £2 helping people keep well and stay healthy; £1 running libraries, registration services and maintaining trading standards.

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