Over recent years, we have been able to protect frontline services that residents rely on by making changes to reduce the costs of delivering services and increase the council’s income.

We deliver two types of service – ‘statutory’ and ‘discretionary'.

Statutory services are services the council is legally required to run, such as:

• household waste collections
• determining planning applications
• administering benefits

Discretionary services, which the council is not obliged to run but chooses to provide for the city, include:

• our seven community centres
• swimming pools, Jesus Green lido and splash pads
• free community events including the annual fireworks night on Midsummer Common
• improving biodiversity including caring for local chalk streams
• operating public toilets

To pay for these and the other services we provide, we receive income from sources including fees and charges, commercial property rents and Housing Benefit subsidy. Income also comes from your Council Tax payments, grants from the government and a share of local business rates.

Our budget for 2026/27 was approved at Full Council on 26 February 2026, confirming the council has funds to protect and enhance its services for residents. It shows the forecast overspend of £11.5 million by 2030/31 has now been reduced to just £1.4 million (see note below), out of approximately £80 million which we will spend in the coming year.

Here are some of the things we will spend money on between April 2026 and March 2027.

• £4.9m for streets and open spaces, including grass cutting, planting, managing weeds and litter collections
• £3.2m collecting household black bin, recycling and garden waste – including an additional £1m on new food waste collections
• £2.7m to improve our environment and keep people safe, including food safety inspections, taxi licensing and noise complaints
• £1.7m towards the Waterbeach Renewable Energy Network to charge waste collection vehicles with clean, renewable energy
• £1.4m on planning, including policy to ensure good standards for new homes and that they are supported by the right infrastructure, and determining planning applications
• £1.1m to support community safety, including covering cost to keep streetlights on
• Over £1m awarded through the council’s annual Community Grants programme to local community organisations
• £865k for repairs and maintenance in car parks and the council’s commercial properties and administrative buildings
• £677k (as part of a £4.3 million) investment in the new community centre at East Barnwell
• £400k grant funding to partners working to prevent people from becoming homeless
• £253k on the 100+ council-run play parks across the city
• £175k on swimming pools, including improving water quality, reducing the use of chemicals; and new water recovery and rainwater harvesting systems
• £80k over two years to accelerate weed clearance following the first year of our herbicide-free weed clearance programme
• £36.5k to fund new trees being planted

Note on forecast overspend

Earlier in the budget-setting process we said our forecast overspend of £11.5 million had been reduced to £1.5 million. Due to an updated Local Government Finance Settlement, this has now been reduced to £1.4 million.