Gloucestershire residents look set to be charged more in council tax and residential parking permits from April as Shire Hall chiefs put forward their budget plans for the next financial year for Gloucestershire County Council.

The Liberal Democrat administration’s proposals for the £697m revenue budget will be debated by all councillors at a meeting next month. This includes an extra £83.81 a year for county council services from April.

If approved, the average annual band D council tax bill for the services the county council provides will rise to £1,763.46 from £1,679.65 in 2025/26.

This is based on a 4.99 per cent increase made up of a 2.99 per cent in general council tax increase and a two per cent increase for adult social care.

The total council tax will be higher as it will include police, district and, where applicable, parish council charges.

Today’s cabinet meeting heard how around 75 per cent of the councils budget goes towards social care. And the Lib Dems’ ambition is to spend an extra £15m on road maintenance during the next financial year.

Deputy leader and finance cabinet member Colin Hay (LD, All Saints and Oakley), who presented the draft budget proposals, said that central government has been underfunding councils year on year.

He told the meeting the council has had to find just under £10m “without rowing back on their investment commitments” and they will be bringing forward “transformational” changes to services.

“Some of the things the public expect councils to do, we can no longer do it,” he said.

“We have to alter our services to the amount of money we are getting for them.”

He said he wants to make the investments where they can deliver as good a service for much less despite the pressures the council is under.

Cllr Hay also said there will also be substantial increase to parking and residential permits.

He said they have addressed that to make sure it’s an easy monthly payment.

“The first permit will cost £6.66 a month,” he said. “That’s the equivalent of a £1.36 rise from what it would have been this year.

“It’s just over £13 a month if it is the second permit. So again, about £2 odd in the increase.”

The County Council’s budget for 2026/27 will be debated on February 18.