Bury Council is consulting residents, businesses and community groups on a set of proposed changes as it tries to close a forecast budget gap of £20.3 million for 2027/28. The consultation runs until 30 November 2026.
The council says rising demand for adult and children’s social care is the main driver of the shortfall, with some planned savings also taking longer to land than expected. It has identified £10.7 million worth of proposals so far and is still working on how to find the remaining £9.6 million.
The specific proposals out for consultation are:
- Garden waste collections – introducing an annual subscription charge for the existing brown bin service
- Street lighting – switching off certain streetlights at set times and locations to cut energy use, with exemptions for major junctions and known collision hotspots
- School crossing patrols – retaining only high-priority crossing points and stopping medium and low-priority ones
- Leisure centre fees – a 20% increase across the borough’s three leisure centres to cover rising operating costs
- Home care charges – removing the council’s cap on care package charges for people whose financial assessment shows they can afford to pay in full, bringing Bury in line with most other councils
Cabinet member for finance Cllr Sean Thorpe acknowledged that household budgets are already stretched, adding that the council wants people to understand the proposals before any decisions are made. He also confirmed the council is exploring Exceptional Financial Support – a mechanism that would give the council more flexibility over capital funding or allow additional borrowing – though he described it as a last resort rather than a government grant.
Final budget decisions are expected in February 2027. You can read the full proposals and share your views via the Bury Council budget consultation page. The deadline is 30 November 2026.
Source: www.mynewsdesk.com
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