Knutsford Town Council is inviting feedback on its draft budget for 2026/27.
This is the first time the council has undertaken public engagement as part of its budget setting process. The engagement period closes 21st November, ahead of the council’s Finance Committee budget meeting on 1st December.
Households in Knutsford pay a portion of their council tax to the Town Council; known as the parish precept, this accounts for just under 5.6% of the total council tax paid. In 2025, for a Band D household, this amounted to £11.08 per month.
Over September and October, council committees have prepared their draft budgets for the financial year starting 1st April 2026. The draft budget will be published on the council website from Friday 24th October, alongside an explanatory guide to the changes in next year’s budget. The initiative aims to provide a meaningful opportunity for the community to influence local spending priorities before the budget is finalised.
The feedback from the engagement will go to the Finance Committee when it considers the draft budget in early December, and makes a recommendation to January’s Full Council meeting which sets the budget and determines the precept.
All questions will be answered in a formal response at the end of the consultation, and all feedback from this consultation will be included in the papers for the Finance Committee’s budget meeting.
To support the engagement, three ‘budget conversation’ events are being held. These events will include a presentation on the council’s budget and provide an opportunity for questions and comments to be raised. The events will be held:
- Tuesday 4th November at 7pm in Knutsford Market Hall
- Wednesday 12th November at 1pm in Knutsford Market Hall
- Wednesday 12th November at 7pm via Zoom
Residents can register for the Zoom event here: Register for Zoom session
“This is the first time we have held public engagement on our draft budget, and we would greatly value our resident’s input as part of this process” said Cllr Matthew Robertson, Chairman of the council’s Finance Committee.
“The amount residents pay to the Town Council is just a small part of their council tax, but with that we are able to deliver some great outcomes for the community, from our Town Rangers tackling pavement weeds, to delivering events like the upcoming Pumpkin Path which bring the community together.”
“This consultation is purposefully open and we don’t have any binary do you support this or that questions. Any comments, input and feedback residents want to share is welcome whether that is via our website, or in person at our budget conversation events”.
All information is available at www.knutsfordtowncouncil.gov.uk/budget26