Published: Wednesday, 26th February 2025
Sevenoaks District Council set a balanced budget at last night’s Council Meeting (25 February 2025).
This budget will protect and improve services used by all residents while investing in areas that support those in greatest need.
From 1 April 2025, the Council will increase its share of the Council Tax by 2.99%. For residents living in a Band D property, this is an extra £7.29 a year or 14 pence a week.
Over the past year, the Council has seen increased costs and from April, it will pay the Government an extra £233,000 in National Insurance contributions. At the same time it will receive £517,000 less in Government financial support.
As part of the budget, the Council will make £227,000 in savings, including £200,000 in management costs.
The Council will however invest an extra £900,000 in services, including leisure, planning and help for homeless residents.
Regeneration projects to support the local economy and communities will also be progressed. These include land east of Sevenoaks High Street, housing in Swanley and a new community hall and shop on the Spitals Cross Estate in Edenbridge.
Cllr Kevin Maskell, Sevenoaks District Council’s Cabinet Member for Finance & Investment, says: “We know that times are still tough for many residents, which is why we have set a budget to support all our communities.
“We are fortunate to be in a strong financial position compared to many other councils. When Government withdrew our direct financial support a decade ago, we set out to generate income through property investments, enabling us to become the first financially self-sufficient council in the country.
“Next year, our property investments will bring in nearly £1.8 million to help fund the services we provide to every household in the District.
“Like most councils, we face financial challenges with more demand than ever for our services, especially housing and our domestic refuse service, which is dealing with record volumes of waste since the pandemic. Changes to Government support and National Insurance have also increased our costs by £750,000.
“But more efficient ways of working, along with income from our property investments, mean we can once again set a balanced budget. We will invest more in the services that are important to our residents while continuing to invest in major projects that will benefit our District for years to come”.
From April 2025, these organisations will receive the following share of the Council Tax for each pound collected.
- Kent County Council – 70p
- Kent Police and Crime Commissioner – 11p
- Sevenoaks District Council – 10p
- Town and Parish Council average – 5p
- Kent Fire and Rescue – 4p
Sevenoaks District Council’s overall budget for 2025/26 will be £20.3 million.
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