Minehead Town Council | 2026-27 budget

Welcome to Our 2026/27 Budget Overview
Every year Minehead Town Council sets its budget to determine how we maintain services, care for our open spaces, invest in the town, and plan for the future.
This page brings together everything you need to understand the 2026/27 budget, including:
● Our budget press release.● A clear breakdown of where every £1 of your Council Tax goes.● The full Budget Report considered by Council.● The approved Budget Print‑Out for 2026/27.● FAQ's
Everything on this page uses real figures from the approved budget.

Budget Press Release 2026/27

Minehead Town Council Sets Budget to Protect Local Services and Invest in the Town

Minehead Town Council has agreed its budget for the 2026/27 financial year, setting out how it will continue to protect essential local services while investing in the care and improvement of the town.
This is the first full year in which the Council is responsible for managing parks and open spaces that transferred from Somerset Council in May 2025. These include popular and well used areas such as Blenheim Gardens, The Parks, play areas and the seafront. Bringing these spaces under local control has allowed the Town Council to focus on day to day maintenance, safety and long term care, helping to keep them welcoming for residents and visitors alike.
The budget ensures the Council can continue to deliver a wide range of services that residents rely on. This includes maintaining parks, play areas, open spaces and the seafront, operating and improving public toilets, supporting community services and wellbeing initiatives, caring for the cemetery and allotments, and keeping the town centre looking attractive through planting, floral displays and general maintenance. It also supports local events, youth provision and community groups that contribute to the life of the town.
Like many towns across Somerset, Minehead has taken on responsibilities for services that are no longer provided at county level. While this has increased costs, it has also ensured that important local facilities are not lost and that decisions about them are made locally, with a clear understanding of what matters most to the community. Additional staffing, equipment and contracts are now in place to make sure these services are delivered safely and to a good standard.
The budget enables the Council to take a longer‑term approach to facilities that were devolved from Somerset Council and which, in many cases, have seen minimal investment over a number of years. This includes planned upgrades to the public toilets at Blenheim Gardens, alongside wider reinvestment in parks and green spaces now managed locally. Maintaining sensible reserves allows the Council to address these inherited challenges gradually and responsibly, while protecting residents from sudden service reductions or steep increases in the future.
For a typical Band D household, the Town Council’s share of council tax will increase by £9.72 for the year, which is around 19p per week. Councillors have worked carefully to keep the impact on households as low as possible, while still ensuring that Minehead does not see a decline in the services and spaces that residents value.
Councillor Craig Palmer, Mayor of Minehead said: “This budget is about looking after Minehead, protecting the services people use every day and investing in the spaces that make the town such a great place to live and visit. We know people are under pressure from rising costs, so councillors have taken great care to keep the increase as small as possible while still making sure essential services are properly funded.”
All money raised through the Town Council’s precept is spent locally in Minehead, directly supporting services, facilities and improvements within the town. The new budget will come into effect from 1 April 2026.

Headline Figures for Residents

2026/27 Band D Charge: £238.19Increase from 2025/26: £9.72 (+4.25%)Equivalent to 19p per week.
A full breakdown of Bands A–H is available below:
● Band A: £158.79 (increase of £6.48 per year)● Band B: £185.26 (increase of £7.56 per year)● Band C: £211.72 (increase of £8.64 per year)● Band D: £238.19 (increase of £9.72 per year)● Band E: £291.12 (increase of £11.88 per year)● Band F: £344.05 (increase of £14.04 per year)● Band G: £396.98 (increase of £16.20 per year)● Band H: £476.38 (increase of £19.44 per year)

Frequently Asked Questions

Why has the precept increased?
Mainly due to the full‑year running costs — and the additional responsibilities — associated with the parks and open spaces transferred from Somerset Council, alongside inflationary pressures and essential staffing requirements needed to deliver these services safely and effectively. With costs rising everywhere, we’ve been very careful and deliberately cautious in our approach, making sure we keep increases as low as possible while still protecting the services residents rely on.
Where does the money get spent?
A large proportion of the budget goes towards the things residents value most — the work that keeps Minehead looking clean, green and well cared‑for. Around 60% of spending is on amenities and open‑space maintenance, 25% goes toward the essential core operating costs that keep the council running safely and legally, and the remaining budget supports community services, events, and civic responsibilities that strengthen community life.
Does Minehead Town Council receive money from Somerset Council?
Not exactly. The Town Council does raise some of its own income through things like cemetery fees, leases and some car parks. However, most of its funding comes from the precept — this is the Town Council’s share of Council Tax. Although Somerset Council collects the precept on our behalf, it is paid for by Minehead residents through the Town Council portion of their Council Tax bill. Every pound of that precept is then passed to Minehead Town Council and spent on local services in Minehead.
Aren’t all councils the same?
No. Since April 2023, Somerset has a unitary council (Somerset Council) and then a separate tier of Town and Parish Councils. These are distinct organisations with different responsibilities.● Somerset Council is responsible for the big, county‑wide services such as highways, social care, education, waste and recycling, housing services, planning, libraries and major infrastructure.● Town and Parish Councils, like Minehead Town Council, look after very local services — things that make a direct difference to the town’s day‑to‑day environment such as open spaces, public toilets, cemeteries, allotments, events, community support and local amenities.

They are not the same, do not share budgets and do not fund each other’s services.
If the Town Council only charges a couple of hundred pounds a year, why is my Council Tax bill so high?
Because the Town Council is only one small part of your Council Tax bill.
A typical bill includes several separate charges:

1. Somerset Council (the unitary authority)
This is the largest portion of your bill. It funds major services such as adult social care, children’s services, highways, waste and recycling, planning and education.

2. Somerset Council Adult Social Care Precept
This is an additional ring‑fenced amount used solely for social care. It is set by Somerset Council.

3. Devon & Somerset Fire and Rescue Authority
A smaller portion that funds fire and rescue services.

4. Avon & Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner
Funding for local policing.

5. Town or Parish Council Precept
This is our portion — usually only a couple of hundred pounds a year depending on your band.
This part funds Minehead‑specific services such as parks, open spaces, toilets, cemeteries, events, floral displays, community grants and local amenities.
Even though Minehead Town Council provides a wide range of visible, everyday services, its share of the Council Tax bill is relatively small. The largest increases in a typical bill come from the upper‑tier services (social care, policing and fire), not the Town Council.
Is Minehead Town Council financially stable?
Yes. The General Reserve is £451,626 — around four months of expenditure and within national good‑practice guidance.

MINEHEAD TOWN COUNCIL – BUDGET SETTING 2026/27

Budget Press Release 2026/27

Headline Figures for Residents

Where Every £1 of Your Council Tax Goes

Full Budget Report Considered by Council

Approved Budget Print‑Out (2026/27)

Frequently Asked Questions