Your 2026-27 Council Tax from Hampshire County Council
Message from the Leader of Hampshire County Council
Hampshire is a resilient, strong and ambitious county, and as we set our budget for 2026-27, our focus remains firmly on securing the best possible future for all of us who live here. Despite the well documented financial pressures facing councils across the country, Hampshire continues to approach these challenges with determination, innovation and a clear plan for sustaining the vital services our 1.4 million residents rely on every day.
This year sees a 4.99% increase in council tax, of which 2% will be dedicated specifically for adult social care. This is a decision we haven’t taken lightly, acknowledging that residents’ household bills also remain under considerable strain. It’s been a difficult choice, but one we have had to take in order to protect essential services while helping maintain stability as demand and costs continue to rise - particularly in areas such as adult social care, support for vulnerable children, and school transport for young people with disabilities and additional needs.
We have always taken an honest and up-front approach to setting the County Council’s budget, telling residents where we are at every step of the planning process and what our forecasts look like. Our challenge is best evidenced by this example; each 1% of council tax increase in Hampshire raises £8.5 million for the Council, so a 2% precept for social care brings in £17 million. Each month in Hampshire an additional 45 people in care homes need our support having used up their own resources. That’s 540 people per year. We use our purchasing power to keep care home costs low, the lowest rate on our tariff is £1,000 per week. That’s £52,000 per year. An extra 540 people costing £52,000 per year each means an additional full year charge of over £28 million to the Council. The amount we can raise simply doesn’t cover the increasing number of people needing our help.
What sets Hampshire apart is our track record of planning responsibly, acting early, and transforming how we work to ensure we can keep delivering the best possible services within our means.
Over the past year alone, we have delivered £95 million in savings, with a further £40 million of efficiencies expected - significant progress that is improving the long-term sustainability of our finances and reducing the scale of future council tax rises. We are leaving no stone unturned to make every pound go further, through smarter ways of working, digital innovation, modernised processes and closer working with our partners and communities.
We also remain focused on the future. The coming years will bring major opportunities – through devolution, unlocking significant additional funding and powers devolved from central Government to our region, and driving economic growth, investment in infrastructure, transport, and planning. Local Government Reorganisation across Hampshire and the Solent area will also see the biggest shake-up of local government here in a generation – replacing the current 15 councils serving Hampshire, Southampton, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight. By laying strong financial foundations now, we are ensuring that following reorganisation in April 2028, the councils of the future will be built on services that are resilient, efficient, and aligned to the needs and aspirations of our residents.
In the meantime, our commitment above all is to continue delivering high-quality services, protecting the most vulnerable, and shaping a sustainable future for Hampshire. Through prudent stewardship, ongoing transformation, finding efficiencies and a clear strategic direction, we are confident that Hampshire can continue to thrive - today, tomorrow, and for generations to come.
Councillor Nick Adams-King
Leader, Hampshire County Council
Our Strategic Plan 2025–2028 – Your Hampshire, today and for tomorrow
Every day in Hampshire, people rely on services that keep life running smoothly – like roads, schools, care for older relatives, protection and support for children, safe communities, and access to our countryside and libraries. To protect and strengthen these services, we have set a clear direction for the years ahead in our latest strategic plan. This helps us stay focused on what matters most across local communities, manage financial pressures, and make sure Hampshire continues to be a great place to live and work.
At the centre of this approach is the Hampshire Pledge, which remains a key part of how we operate. It’s our ongoing promise to deliver essential services well, use public money responsibly, and support those who need us most, alongside the ways residents can play a part too.
The priorities we’ve set build on that promise, ensuring we can continue improving and adapting in a changing world.
We are focusing on four main areas:
- Helping people stay healthy, well and independent.
Supporting residents to stay well, live independently for longer, and ensuring young people can reach their potential - Helping communities thrive.
Investing in strong local economies, the right infrastructure to support local communities and businesses, and protecting Hampshire’s natural environment. Climate resilience, new skills and innovation are built into this work - Keeping residents safe.
Protecting children and adults from harm and abuse, acting against rogue traders to keep people safe, and working with police, fire, health and community organisations to build safer and more resilient communities - Delivering modern, high-quality services.
Improving how services are run by embracing digital tools, simplifying processes and focusing on long-term value – within services like social care, schools, roads, libraries or recycling centres, among others
Together, these priorities - and the Hampshire Pledge that underpins them - provide a focused, practical plan for keeping Hampshire strong, resilient and ready for the future.
Hampshire County Council's budget
This is how each £1 of the budget will be spent on essential services in 2026/27.
Chart data
| Service | Amount spent per £1 of budget |
|---|---|
| Adults' social care | 44.7p |
| Childrens' social care | 23p |
| School transport | 6.4p |
| Public Health | 5p |
| Waste disposal and environmental services | 5p |
| Running the Council | 4.9p |
| Roads and streetlighting | 3.3p |
| Education and learning | 2.9p |
| Design and maintenance of schools/ public buildings | 1.6p |
| Concessionary fares and passenger transport | 1.1p |
| Hampshire's economy and future | 1p |
| Libraries | 0.7p |
| Coroner's Service | 0.3p |
| Country Parks and recreation | 0.1p |
- 44.7p Adults' social care
- 22.7p Childrens' social care
- 7.9p School transport
- 4.8p Waste disposal and environmental services
- 4.3p Running the Council
- 4.3p Public Health
- 3.4p Roads and streetlighting
- 2.4p Education and learning
- 1.9p Design and maintenance of schools/ public buildings
- 1.2p Concessionary fares and passenger transport
- 1.1p Hampshire's economy and future
- 0.8p Libraries
- 0.3p Coroner's Service
- 0.2p Country Parks and recreation
We also provide schools and early years at a cost of £1.4bn, mostly funded by a grant from central Government.
What your Council Tax to Hampshire County Council pays for
- Hampshire County Council’s Council Tax for 2026/27 is
- £32.50 per week
- based on a Band D property
Hampshire County Council is the third largest shire council in the country. We are responsible for around 80% of all the money spent on council services in Hampshire, amounting to £3.3 billion of gross spending over the next 12 months, serving Hampshire residents.
Each year the County Council sets its Council Tax to help pay for important services including roads, social care, education and schools, libraries and household waste recycling, to over 1.4 million residents (excluding people living in the Southampton and Portsmouth unitary council areas).
The Council Tax bill you receive in Hampshire also includes separate portions for your local district, borough or city council, local policing and the Fire & Rescue Service.
Hampshire County Council’s council tax is among the lowest of any county council in England.
- For a Band D property, the Hampshire County Council precept is £1,690.11 from 1 April 2026
- This is an average increase of £1.54 per week from last year
A large proportion of the County Council’s budget is spent on providing social care, for both older and younger adults as well as children – like protecting children from harm and neglect, social care for Hampshire’s growing older population, supporting adults and children with disabilities and additional needs, as well as school transport for children with special educational needs. Like other councils across the country, the costs of delivering these social care services keeps rising because of inflation and price increases by care providers, as well as demand being at record levels, especially in social care – pushing up our overall costs by more than £120 million from April. Therefore 2% of this year’s council tax increase will go towards helping meet these financial pressures in adult social care.
This year's spending priorities
At the heart of everything we do is a commitment to supporting those in Hampshire who rely on us most. Our aim is to create communities that are safe, healthy, resilient, and thriving, whilst safeguarding the county’s unique and diverse natural environment for everyone, now and into the future.
In 2026/27, our priorities will include:
Protecting and caring for Hampshire's children
Our dedication to safeguarding children and supporting families remains steadfast. We are committed to ensuring that every child receives the protection and care they deserve, keeping them safe from harm, abuse, and neglect.
Hampshire’s Children’s Services are recognised as among the best nationally, with Ofsted rating us ‘Outstanding’ - their highest category. Each year, we deliver vital social care support to over 25,000 children, including through our fostering and adoption services.
Increased awareness of how to report abuse has resulted in more than 180,000 safeguarding concerns being raised annually in Hampshire. We continue to make accessing support simpler and quicker for families, prioritising keeping families together safely wherever possible so that children can grow up in secure, nurturing environments.
Special educational needs
We’re now supporting over 20,000 Hampshire children and young people every year with special educational needs and/or disabilities to achieve positive outcomes in their education, including providing essential help for their families and respite; equipment and therapies, emotional, wellbeing and healthcare support. We also transport over 14,700 pupils to and from school via more than 5.6 million student journeys each year.
We continue to invest in supporting children with special educational needs and disabilities, including £26 million earmarked for projects, all starting in 2026/27, specifically to support children with additional needs across Hampshire schools.
Providing adult social care
By 2030, one in 25 people in Hampshire is expected to be aged 85 or above, and the number of residents aged 90 and above is predicted to increase by 26% in the next five years. This growing older population, along with more adults living with complex needs, is placing unprecedented pressure on adult social care services.
Each year, we support over 21,000 people with long-term care needs, including those with learning disabilities, physical disabilities and mental health conditions. We recognise the importance of helping people live independently and in good health in their own homes for as long as possible.
To help achieve this, we support around 20,000 people each year to return home safely from hospital. We deliver more than four million hours of home care annually and manage nearly 1,000 extra care apartments across the county. We also use care technology to provide additional support and reassurance to over 40,000 individuals and their families. Since launching our new countywide Carer’s Support service in autumn 2024, we have handled more than 6,000 referrals from unpaid carers seeking help.
Supporting safe and reliable travel
Reliable, well-maintained roads are vital for daily life, public safety and Hampshire’s economic strength.
This past winter’s long spells of cold and wet weather have taken a heavy toll on road surfaces nationwide. In Hampshire, this has led to a sharp rise in reported defects across our 5,500 mile network. We’re putting more teams and equipment on the ground, inspecting every issue reported to us, prioritising the repairs that matter most for your safety and directing more resources towards road maintenance – as well as over £160 million due to come to Hampshire from the Department for Transport over the next three years. From April, our annual programme of planned maintenance begins, targeting winter damage and helping to restore our roads to a better condition.
We’re also moving forward with our plans for a new scheme to cut disruption from roadworks carried out by utility and broadband companies. Subject to Government approval, this scheme would help reduce delays on our busiest routes - particularly during peak times - and ensure essential works are completed more efficiently. It would also generate welcome extra funding to reinvest directly into further improvements across Hampshire’s road network.
Delivering a strong future for Hampshire
Hampshire and the wider Solent region remains one of the UK’s most economically significant areas – home to over two million residents, thousands of businesses, and a diverse economy that strengthens national prosperity. As local government evolves through the reorganisation of the area’s 15 existing councils into fewer new unitary (all-purpose councils) delivering all of the services delivered by the councils that currently serve Hampshire, Southampton, Portsmouth and Isle of Wight, the County Council will work closely with partners across the area to ensure that Hampshire’s communities benefit from these future changes. Reorganisation will see decisions affecting the Hampshire and Solent area shaped more locally and services delivered with greater flexibility, accountability, and efficiency to deliver growth, transformation and reform in the quickest way possible.
Our priority as we head towards go-live for the new councils in April 2028, is to ensure that the new unitary authorities are in the best position to maintain safe, strong and secure services, deliver value for money for taxpayers, and support long-term financial resilience, while protecting the continuity and quality of service to children and adults in the greatest need and supporting our staff through this major transition.
Throughout this period of change, our focus remains the same: championing Hampshire’s interests, ensuring residents and businesses benefit from strong, sustainable local government, and shaping a future system and services that work for every community.
At the same time, the inclusion of Hampshire and the Solent in the Government’s fast-track devolution programme brings further key opportunities. A future Mayoral Strategic Authority will bring £1.3 billion of extra funding to our region and the transfer of new powers from Whitehall, to support economic growth, skills, transport and infrastructure, enabling more matters to be decided locally to benefit local people, while strengthening Hampshire and the Solent area’s voice in national decisions. We remain committed to securing the strongest possible devolution deal so that these benefits directly support our residents, communities and local economy.