Hertfordshire County Council has today agreed its budget for the 2026/27 financial year — a £1.2 billion spending plan described by council leaders as both ambitious and affordable, with extra investment aimed at services that matter most to residents across Hitchin and the county. 

The budget includes an additional £107 million of funding for key services after listening to feedback from residents and scrutiny of the draft plans. 

🏡 Major priorities in the new budget

Here are some of the biggest changes that could affect people locally:

• Adult social care: £21 million extra to deliver high-quality residential and home care, with further increases in future years.  
• Support for older people and adults with disabilities: £23 million to meet growing demand for support and services.  
• Children in care and those with disabilities: £16 million to help children thrive and build stable futures.  
• Helping foster families: A £1.4 million rise in fostering allowances so children can stay in caring homes closer to their communities.  
• SEND services: £6.3 million to recruit more educational psychologists and staff supporting children with special educational needs.  
• Road safety: £1.5 million over two years to introduce around 200 new 20 mph zones in areas where residents want them — something that could benefit neighbourhoods around Hitchin town.  

Additional investments include extra support for care leavers, more highway and transport improvements, and boosting air quality projects around schools and care homes. 

🚧 Long-term improvements too

Over the next four years, the county council plans to spend about £1.3 billion on assets and infrastructure — including £140 million to expand special educational needs school places and £377 million on road maintenance and improvement across Hertfordshire. 

💰 Council Tax and financial challenges

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To help pay for these services and maintain financial stability, council tax will increase by 2.99 % plus a further 2 % for adult social care, following similar rises in recent years. 

Council leaders have also warned that Hertfordshire is facing ongoing funding pressures — including the loss of more than £40 million in grant funding by 2028-29 — meaning there will still be a strong focus on efficiency savings and innovation to protect frontline services. 

💬 What the council says

Councillor Steve Jarvis, Leader of Hertfordshire County Council, said the budget was designed to support the county's long-term vision while protecting essential services: "This budget is ambitious and affordable, it supports our vision for a sustainable, inclusive and thriving Hertfordshire, and provides extra funding for the services our residents value most."