Extra council investment to improve public spaces and buildings
Lancaster City Council will invest an extra £250,000 a year to help keep the district clean and well-presented.
The additional outlay was agreed as part of the city council’s annual budget, which was set at a meeting of full council on Wednesday (February 25).
The extra funding included in the 2026/27 budget will support additional staffing, fleet requirements, equipment and operational costs. This will help improve the frequency and responsiveness of services such as grass cutting, street cleaning and general maintenance across the district.
This investment has been made possible through savings elsewhere in the budget and income growth, including from the growing success of the council’s commercial services. Taken together, the council’s commercial venues such as the Ashton Hall, The Platform and The Storey now generate an annual turnover of £1.25 million.
The budget also sees significant growth planned in expenditure on the council’s property estate in order to maintain the buildings and assets that residents use regularly and which form such a big part of the identity of the district.
These include Salt Ayre Leisure Centre, Williamson Park, Lancaster Bus Station and the sea-front at Morecambe to make it ‘Eden-ready’.
Councillor Tim Hamilton‑Cox, Cabinet member with responsibility for Finance and Property, said: “Residents expect our streets, parks and open spaces to be tidy and welcoming. This extra funding will help our public realm teams build on the excellent work they already do, improving the look and feel of communities across the district, especially in key areas where residents want to see the grass cut more frequently.
“The council has a very extensive asset base – including many listed buildings - and a huge responsibility to maintain them fit for future generations. That costs money but it’s worth remembering that less than a quarter of the council’s total expenditure comes from council tax.”
The city council’s share of Council Tax, its most stable source of funding, will increase by an average of 2.99%, equivalent to an extra 15p a week for a Band D property.
In the next financial year, residents in a Band D property will pay an average of £5.23 a week (£272.20 a year) to the city council for the services it provides. As around 80% of homes in the district are in Bands A to C, most households will pay a lower amount.
The council has also agreed to continue 100% Council Tax support for residents on the lowest incomes, remaining one of a minority of local authorities in England to do so.
While the city council sets and controls around 11% of the total Council Tax bill, the remainder goes to Lancashire County Council (73%), Lancashire Police Authority (12%) and Lancashire Combined Fire Authority (4%).
Last updated: 26 February 2026