An Independent councillor for Midsomer Norton Shaun has expressed concern over the setting of the annual budget amid claims the council ‘is effectively marking its own homework’.

Bath and North East Somerset Council budget for 2025/26 includes a 4.99 per cent increase in council tax - the most that a council can make without special permission.

It also includes cuts, savings, and new charges and income to make up a £14m budget gap driven by the “extreme” pressure which cabinet member Mark Elliott (Liberal Democrats, Lansdown) said was particularly the case for children’s services.

The budget also includes a pause to the parking reinvestment fund, which is expected to save £210,000. Cllr Shaun Hughes (Independent, Midsomer Norton) proposed an amendment to have the pause overturned, but he was unsuccessful.

Cllr Hughes said: “Firstly, it is important to recognise that a significant portion of the budget is allocated to children’s and adult social care, an area that remains extremely challenging for councils across the UK. The Independent Group fully supports the budget proposals in this regard.

“However, I want to highlight a concern regarding scrutiny. We believe this is an area where improvements can be made, especially since scrutiny is a constructive process that helps identify potential unintended consequences.

“Currently, the use of proportionality on panels limits the depth of scrutiny that can be applied. This creates the impression that the council is effectively marking its own homework.

“Another issue lies in the lack of context within the data provided. Understanding year-on-year progression often requires extensive independent research, especially as budget lines are frequently moved or removed, making it difficult to track performance or justify increases or cuts.

“A simple example is the Midsomer Norton parking charges. The budget showed a clear target of raising £195,000 this year, which has yet to be achieved.

“However, the budget line has now disappeared. If the £195,000 wasn’t raised, how was this shortfall offset? And how much revenue is projected for the next year?

“There’s a similar challenge with understanding the £802,000 in third-sector cuts reflected in last February’s budget.

“It would be beneficial to see a clear flow from one budget year to the next. including the percentage of targets achieved and whether over or under budget to be able to track financial trajectories and ensure accountability.

“There are also other areas that require clarification, particularly around capital expenditure. These include £5 - 10 million allocated for upgrading heating systems in corporate buildings, £10million for replacing the vehicle fleet, and £6.5million uplift to £20million pounds for a fashion museum that has historically operated at a half a million annual loss.”

When presenting the budget plans to the council, Cllr Elliott said: “We have healthy reserves, we are not at any significant risk of finding ourselves in financial difficulty.

“We are not unable to balance the books or making swingeing cuts to services. We are not having to apply to central government for permission to make exceptional council tax rises.”