Sam Smith, leader of Nottinghamshire County Council, discusses the council’s budget

Setting a balanced budget every year sets the foundations for a stable, responsible and sustainable local authority, writes Sam Smith, leader of Nottinghamshire County Council.

I’m delighted to say the budget for 2025/26 puts this council on a sound footing and that’s due in no small measure to good financial management and decision making in recent years.

The next 12 months will see frontline services protected and further investment in our communities the length and breadth of Nottinghamshire, all whilst keeping Council Tax as low as possible.

We’ve increased overall spending on services by £64m, with £144m also being invested in capital projects like roads, schools and infrastructure.

This is set against a backdrop of increasing financial pressures and challenges, and as I’ve said, good financial planning and introducing efficiencies throughout the council, has seen us emerge in a strong position going forward.

There’s no doubt that the number one priority for residents is the county’s roads. We hear you and we are listening.

As a result, we’ve approved record investment into repairing the roads, and you’ll see this investment in the coming weeks with an extensive list of road resurfacing projects getting underway in every corner of the county.

With overall funding and investment, both from our Highways capital programme and the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA), likely to top £70m over the next 12 months, residents can be reassured that roads maintenance is very much a key priority for this authority.

Another record I’m extremely proud of is this council has never closed a library and indeed, we will be investing £14 over the next 12 months to protect and enhance our library network further. I’ve seen firsthand how important libraries are to local communities and I want to make sure they remain at the heart of the community under my leadership.

Protecting our most vulnerable in society is something we must always invest in, and next year will see a £9.5m funding increase in children’s foster care and a £7.1m increase for Adult Social Care, two vitally important services for this council.

Other services that will see continued investment next year are flood alleviation projects, £9m for rural bus services, £4m into pavement repairs, the creation of 500 new Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) places, a new £30m SEND school in Mansfield and continued investment in our thriving youth service.

I’m Nottinghamshire born and bred and I’m proud of this great county. I hope the investment we’re putting into services that matter most to residents will see the county prosper in years to