Budget 2024 to 2025
Setting our budget 2025/26
We are currently in the process of developing budget plans for the next 3 years 2025-28.
Budget engagement
We have previously asked for your feedback on budget suggestions and how these might impact on you and your community. The Council Budget was agreed at its meeting on 29 February 2024.
You are invited to have your say in preparing our next budget proposals here.
Budget engagement for 2024/25
Our budget engagement for 2024/25 was themed in line with the approved Council Programme, “Our Future Highland”.
The Highland Council has a net budget of £712 million which we use to provide many essential services across a region covering a third of Scotland.
Highland Council Budget Challenge
| Service or activity area | Budget (£m) |
|---|---|
| Schools (nursery, primary and secondary) | £190.0 |
| Adult Social Care and Other Adult Services | £141.0 |
| Loans charges | £60.1 |
| Property | £52.9 |
| Roads and Transport | £51.7 |
| Children’s Services | £43.3 |
| Additional Support Needs | £38.8 |
| Waste, Environmental and Community Services | £34.3 |
| Corporate and Support Functions | £32.8 |
| Catering, Cleaning and Facilities Management | £22.1 |
| High Life Highland | £18.2 |
| Other frontline service | £15.6 |
| Welfare | £6.8 |
| Cost contingency budgets (inclusing pay increases) | £5.0 |
Note: These figures are net of £60.8m of fees and charges income.
| Service or activity area | Spend (£) |
|---|---|
| Schools (nursery, primary and secondary) | £27 |
| Adult Social Care and Other Adult Services | £20 |
| Loans charges | £8 |
| Property | £7 |
| Roads and Transport | £7 |
| Children’s Services | £6 |
| Additional Support Needs | £5 |
| Waste, Environmental and Community Services | £5 |
| Corporate and Support Functions | £5 |
| Catering, Cleaning and Facilities Management | £3 |
| High Life Highland | £3 |
| Other frontline service | £2 |
| Welfare | £1 |
| Cost contingency budgets (inclusing. pay increases) | £1 |
Highland is a great place to live, work and do business. It's home to 238,000 people and welcomes millions of visitors each year.
We know we will have less money in the future and we want to focus our resources on key priorities.
Where our money comes from
- Council tax - 19%
- income from fees and charges - 8%
- use of balances - 2%
- grant funding from Scottish Government - 71%
A decreasing budget
As a result of increasing costs and inflation, we expect our budget to decrease further in the next three years.
Our options are to reduce our costs, to increase our income, or a mixture of both.
Although our budget has greatly reduced over the past few years we’re still continuing to invest in some really big projects, and work with partners to boost the economy and create jobs. We plan to invest £343 million over the next 5 years in capital projects such as schools, infrastructure and housing.