1 Our 2024-2025 budget
From the Leader of West Sussex County Council
"West Sussex County Council will spend £2 billion to deliver day-to-day services in the coming year to a growing population of approximately 882,600 residents and 42,600 businesses across our county.
To continue to provide these vital services and meet higher inflation rates we need to increase the County Council’s element of Council Tax. Details of the increase are on the About the Council Tax charge page.
This will allow us to continue to deliver Our Council Plan priorities and support those most in need, whilst investing in services used by all who live, work and visit West Sussex.
Our budget includes an additional £81.9 million to maintain services for:
- vulnerable children and young people
- adults’ social care
- maintaining the county’s 4,000km of roads
- managing increased costs, as inflation levels remain high.
We appreciate the pressures that many people in our communities are facing. Help is available and we encourage anyone struggling to pay their council tax to contact their local district or borough council to see if they are eligible for a discount or exemption."
Paul Marshall, Leader of West Sussex County Council
For more information from the Leader, see our Budget news page.
Also see general information about:
The current budget and your Council Tax
Each year, West Sussex County Council approves the revenue budget for the next year. They do this alongside a five-year capital programme.
Setting the budget involves agreeing statutory and discretionary fees and charges. You can find these in the Fees and charges schedule on the Budget documents page.
The next pages will give you information about the budget. They will also explain how it relates to your Council Tax bill. You can find detailed information for this year, and past years, on the Budget documents page.
Download and print
You can download and print a document version of these pages.
2 How we spend our funds
The below tables show details of our budget, where our money comes from, including Council Tax income, and how we spend it.
Spending on services
| Service | 2023-2024 spend in £millions | 2024-2025 spend in £millions |
|---|---|---|
| Managing schools and education | 883.4 | 960.7 |
| Caring for adults and keeping people healthy | 457.7 | 507.1 |
| Children's social care and supporting young people | 174.1 | 203.8 |
| Protecting the environment, recycling and waste disposal | 84.3 | 90.9 |
| Maintenance of our roads and providing transport | 79.7 | 83.1 |
| Running our organisation | 80.5 | 77.8 |
| Fire and Rescue Service | 36.8 | 38.1 |
| Supporting local communities | 19.1 | 22.1 |
| Supporting the local economy | 2.2 | 2.7 |
| Total spend on services | 1,817.8 | 1,986.3 |
Spending on corporate items
| Corporate item | 2023-2024 spend in £millions | 2024-2025 spend in £millions |
|---|---|---|
| Capital financing | 31.6 | 34.8 |
| General contingency | 13.0 | 12.0 |
| Social care and home to school transport pressures | 0 | 13.4 |
| Additional investment into highways, roads, skills and economic development | 5.0 | 0 |
| Total spend on corporate items | 49.6 | 60.2 |
Gross expenditure
| Spending type | 2023-2024 spend in £millions | 2024-2025 spend in £millions |
|---|---|---|
| Total spending on services | 1,817.8 | 1,986.3 |
| Total spending on corporate items | 49.6 | 60.2 |
| Total gross expenditure | 1,867.4 | 2,046.5 |
Service specific income
| Source of income | 2023-2024 amount in £millions | 2024-2025 amount in £millions |
|---|---|---|
| Dedicated Schools Grant | 775.8 | 850.3 |
| Other service specific government grants | 167.8 | 175.1 |
| Fees, charges and other income | 214.4 | 239.0 |
| Reserves and balances | 0.6 | 13.8 |
| Total service specific income | 1,158.6 | 1,278.2 |
Net expenditure
| Type of expenditure or income | 2023-2024 amount in £millions | 2024-2025 amount in £millions |
|---|---|---|
| Gross expenditure | 1,867.4 | 2046.5 |
| Service specific income | -1,158.6 | -1,278.2 |
| Total net expenditure | 708.8 | 768.3 |
Where funding for our net expenditure comes from
| Funding source | 2023-2024 amount in £millions | 2024-2025 amount in £millions |
|---|---|---|
| Council Tax | 567.1 | 600.2 |
| Business Rate Retention Scheme | 97.1 | 110.0 |
| Social Care Support Grant | 42.1 | 56.3 |
| New Homes Bonus Grant | 1.2 | 1.3 |
| Services Grant | 3.1 | 0.5 |
| Collection Fund | -1.8 | 0 |
| Total sources of funding | 708.8 | 768.3 |
How spending has changed
The net expenditure table shows that expenditure was £708.8m in 2023-2024 and will be £768.3m in 2024-2025. This is a £59.5m (8.4%) year-on-year increase.
The table below shows the factors that account for the change.
| Item | Amount in £millions |
|---|---|
| Pay and price inflation (excluding schools) | 27.8 |
| Demographic and other service pressures | 54.1 |
| Increase in service and corporate contingency | 12.4 |
| Financing the capital programme | 3.2 |
| Efficiencies and other savings | -15.7 |
| Transfers from reserves | -13.3 |
| Reversal of 2023-2024 additional investment into highways and skills | -5.0 |
| Increased investment income resulting from interest rate rises | -4.0 |
| Total spending increase | 59.5 |
Payments to outside organisations
The 2024-2025 budget includes legislated requirements for payments to outside organisations, as below:
- Flood defence levy - £0.365m
- Sussex Inshore Fisheries levy - £0.386m
- Chichester Harbour Conservancy contribution - £0.233m
- Littlehampton Harbour Board precept - £0.558m
3 Our capital investment and expenditure
In addition to our £2m gross expenditure on day-to-day services, the County Council has a five-year capital investment programme for longer term improvements. We expect to spend £131.6m on planned investment in capital projects for 2024-2025 and £695m over the next five years.
This 2024-2025 spend includes:
- £17m for environmental projects to help reduce the county’s carbon footprint.
- £59m in highways and transport reflecting its importance for economic growth.
- £33m investment in the county’s schools, early year settings and accommodation to support vulnerable children.
The below graph shows the total 2024-2025 capital expenditure. It also shows the allocation of spending between services.
4 About the Council Tax charge
Your Council Tax makes up 78% of our net spend and helps us fund vital services.
Council Tax charges in 2024-2025
The County Council's part of your Council Tax charge will increase by 4.99% in 2024-2025. For an average Band D household, this increase is equivalent to around £1.57 per week.
The 4.99% increase consists of:
- 2.99% for the County Council's core element
- 2% allocated to adult social care, termed the Adult Social Care (ASC) precept.
The total increase falls within the maximum permissible limit before a local referendum is required.
Adult Social Care precept
The Adult Social Care (ASC) precept is a charge that ASC authorities can add to Council Tax to help them meet their adult social care expenditure.
According to the Council Tax (Demand Notices) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2020 your bill must show the ASC precept separately. The amount shown is the cumulative charge since the precept's introduction in 2016.
You can find more information, including how it is calculated, on our Adult Social Care (ASC) precept page.
How we will spend your Council Tax in 2024-2025
Our income from Council Tax for 2024-2025 is £600.2m. The graph below shows the percentage of income we will spend on each service.
5 Council Tax banding and charges
The amount of Council Tax you pay depends on your Council Tax band.
Your Council Tax band is based on the value of your home in 1991. For Council Tax banding queries, contact the Valuation Office Agency.
Charges for 2024-2025
This table shows County Council charges for 2024-2025.
| Council Tax band | Property value (as at April 1991) | County Council charge for 2024-2025 |
|---|---|---|
| A | Up to £40,000 | £1,143.30 |
| B | £40,000 to £52,000 | £1,333.85 |
| C | £52,000 to £68,000 | £1,524.40 |
| D | £68,000 to £88,000 | £1,714.95 |
| E | £88,000 to £120,000 | £2,096.05 |
| F | £120,000 to £160,000 | £2,477.15 |
| G | £160,000 to £320,000 | £2,858.25 |
| H | Over £320,000 | £3,429.90 |
In addition, your bill includes charges for your:
- district or borough council
- Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner
- town or parish council.
Details of your full Council Tax charge are in your bill. See Paying your Council Tax.
6 Paying your Council Tax
You pay your Council Tax to your district or borough council.
For more information, enter your postcode on our How to pay Council Tax page. This will direct you to your district or borough council's website.
Help to pay your Council Tax
Your district or borough council will also give you information about help to pay Council Tax. This includes discounts and exemptions if they apply.
We offer help, advice and practical support on topics ranging from money management to energy saving. See our pages about the Cost of living.
7 Budget documents
This is the current budget document:
Previous Budget Books
- Budget Book 2023-2024 (PDF, 2MB)
- Budget Book 2022-2023 (PDF, 2.6MB)
- Budget Book 2021-2022 (PDF, 973KB)
- Budget Book 2020-2021 (PDF, 282KB)
- Budget Book 2019-2020 (PDF, 350KB)
- Budget Book 2018-2019 (PDF, 236KB)
- Budget Book 2017-2018 (PDF, 288KB)