Bath and North East Somerset Council has set out its budget proposals for the upcoming financial year.

The proposals seek to extend park and ride hours, create cleaner and greener streets, increase the number of homes built and invest in care for adults and children, to meet the rising demand.

The report, to be presented to cabinet on February 13, contains detailed proposals for a balanced budget for the council’s day-to-day spending of £151.7 million for the financial year 2025/26.

It also sets out additional investment plans over the next five years to improve the area’s infrastructure, including more than £70 million for house building and active travel and transport improvements.

There is also provision to address the rising costs of children's services.

Other growth proposals include:

Councillor Mark Elliott, cabinet member for resources, said: “We have again faced a challenging budget process. However, I am pleased again to present a balanced budget which demonstrates prudent management of our finances despite increasing demands and costs across the board, but particularly in our adult and children’s services.

“Our focus always has to be on meeting the needs of our most vulnerable and we are putting more than £5million additional funding in the budget to meet pressures on care packages for adults.

“We are also addressing pressures on home to school transport and want to invest £350k on more of our own drivers and vehicles. We also want to improve support for young people with £50k to trial a youth club in Bath.

“Making sure we deliver more housing is also vital for our area and £73.4m has been allocated over the next five years for Aequus, the council’s property company, to buy sites and deliver new homes.”

The budge report recommends an increase in general council tax by 2.99 per cent, and an increase of two percent for the adult social care precept.

This results in a total proposed band D council tax for next year of £1,823.06, an overall increase of 4.99 per cent or £86.64 per band D property.

Councillor Elliott added: “I believe Bath and North East Somerset Council provides excellent value for money. We are not seeing the extraordinary percentage rises in council tax that some councils are having to make around the country, and we compare very favourably to our neighbours.

“Even after this rise we expect we will still have the fourth lowest unitary authority council tax in the South West, well below the South West average.”

The budget proposals for 2025/26 will be considered by the cabinet on February 13 and the full council on February 25. The budget report to cabinet can be found on the council’s website.