On 17 December 2025 and 5 March 2026, West Dunbartonshire Council will meet to agree its budget. In this consultation we are asking residents, businesses, and community partners for their views on the services that are most important to them, which will inform budget proposals for 2026/27.
We know that households across West Dunbartonshire are facing huge financial challenges. Rising prices make this a cost-of-living emergency. West Dunbartonshire Council is also facing its most difficult budget pressures for many years.
All local authorities are having to deal with large increases in inflation that are driving up costs and prices for energy, fuel, and materials. The budget gap for 2026/27 currently stands at £9.264 million, rising to £42.823 million by 2029/30. This position may change after we have worked through the implications of the local government’s final budget settlement expected in December.
We manage the Council’s finances responsibly and plan ahead carefully to meet current and future financial challenges. Our financial outlook has been exacerbated for a variety of reasons but primarily due to bank interest rates and general inflationary pressures which are not reflected in the totality of income available to the Council to offset expenditure.
Further information on the Council's income and expenditure is available on the Budget Conversations page.
We have been listening to you about the big issues that matter most to you and your communities in our recent Citizens Panel. We have been guided by what you have told us about your experiences living in West Dunbartonshire.
We now want to hear your views on your priorities across several key areas. Together, all this feedback will help inform our decisions during the budget process.
The budget setting helps balance the main council budget; however, this does not include the annual rent setting consultation and a separate consultation with all tenants will be carried out later in the year.
