Devon County Council has agreed to a 4.99 per cent increase in Council Tax for the coming financial year.

Councillors approved a 2.99 per cent rise for general services and an additional two per cent for adult social care. As a result, the annual council tax for an average Band D home will increase by £85.89—or £1.64 per week—to £1,801.26.

Spending on adult services will rise by 8.2 per cent, while children’s services will see a 5.5 per cent increase. Despite reductions in other departmental budgets and increased income, overall spending will grow by 5.9 per cent, bringing the total budget to more than £784.1 million.

An additional £4 million has been allocated for highways maintenance and pothole repairs, while £5 million will go towards children’s social care to help vulnerable children stay closer to their families and communities. A further £500,000 has been set aside to support district councils and homeless organisations, bringing the council’s homelessness budget to £1 million. This extra funding comes from the new council tax levy on second homes.

The budget was approved with 38 votes in favour, four against, and seven abstentions.

Council leader James McInnes strongly criticised the Government’s decision to end the Rural Services Delivery Grant, which had helped cover the additional costs of providing services in rural areas. He said this had cost Devon over £10 million, with funding redirected to urban areas.

“Devon received the lowest financial settlement of all 21 county councils,” he said. “That means we have to ask our council taxpayers to contribute more to support our services this year. I don’t want to do this, household incomes are under enough pressure as it is. But around four-fifths of our spending goes on supporting our most vulnerable children and adults. We’ve also included a £4 million boost for road repairs, potholes, and drainage, which I know residents will welcome.”