Council tax hike for Calderdale as authority chiefs hail 'sensible' budget for borough

Authority is facing a budget deficit of £6.7 million in 2026/27

Dec 10, 2025

Hello and welcome to The Calderdale Lead.

I hope you’ve had a good week.

We’ve got a special budget edition for you today with full details of the plans Town Hall chiefs in Calderdale have put forward for public consultation.

These include a council tax hike they say is necessary to build ‘firm foundations for the future’ for the borough.

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So, onto today’s edition…

Calderdale residents set to be hit with maximum council tax increase

By Andrew Greaves

Calderdale residents are set to be hit with a council tax increase of almost 5%, if Budget plans put forward by senior councillors are accepted.

The maximum – without having to hold a local referendum – rise of 4.99 per cent forms a key part of Calderdale Council Cabinet’s Budget proposals for 2026-27, which will now go out to consultation.

That sum comprises a 2.99 per cent rise in Council Tax and a further two per cent that councils are allowed to raise specifically ring-fenced for helping pay statutory adult social care costs.

The proposals were presented by the Leader of the Council at a Cabinet meeting on Monday, marking the start of a seven-week public consultation.

The Council will have more certainty about how much funding it will have from the government when it receives a 3-year settlement later this month. This will provide more stability for local government finances and enable better long-term planning.

Council bosses say they are continuing to prioritise support for those who need it most, with over 70% of the total budget now spent on adults’ and children’s health and social care.

Based on the Council’s current financial forecast, the local authority is now facing a budget deficit of £6.7 million in 2026/27.

Cllr Jane Scullion, Calderdale Council leader, said: “We are fixing the foundations for the Council and for Calderdale, now and for the future. It’s a careful, considered set of budget proposals, so that we will be on a firmer footing in the years to come.

“Our priority remains keeping people safe and protecting them from harm. We want the residents of Calderdale to live good lives and achieve their potential, so we are investing in the services which support people with the most complex needs:

for people who are experiencing domestic abuse;
for people who want to live independently in their own home for longer, we are expanding our Occupational Therapy team;
for people with disabilities, we are improving assessments to make sure they have the right support at the right time and
we are investing in those services which keep our buildings safe for the people who live, work or visit them.

“We’re also investing in the services which we know are important to residents and our local businesses:

we will spend an additional £4 million per year to maintain our highways network, which is vital for our thriving towns;
we’re investing in the enforcement teams which tackle fly-tipping and anti-social behaviour which we know can blight our communities and
building on the success of our Year of Culture, we are investing in CultureDale, so that we can continue to grow our creative sector, providing opportunities for our talented young people and reinforcing our reputation as a place of creativity and hope.”

In terms of what the increases mean for residents, the hikes being proposed by Calderdale Council will see those living in a Band A property pay an extra £64.45 a year while those living in a Band H property (the highest council tax band) will pay an extra £193.36 a year.

These are just the Calderdale Council elements with other precepts such as police and fire yet to be determined.

If the proposals remain unchanged and are ultimately approved by the full Calderdale Council when it holds its budget-setting meeting next February, the council will raise an extra £6.4 million in income, with £2.57 million of that specifically ring-fenced for adult social care.

People can have their say on the Cabinet’s budget proposals by completing the online survey: www.calderdale.gov.uk/budget. The closing date for responses is midnight on Sunday 30 January 2026.

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