Our budget

Budget 2024 to 2027

Setting our budget 2025/26

We are currently in the process of developing budget plans for the next 3 years 2025-28.

Budget engagement

We have previously asked for your feedback on budget suggestions and how these might impact on you and your community. The Council Budget was agreed at its meeting on 29 February 2024.

Budget engagement for 2024/25

Our budget engagement for 2024/25 was themed in line with the approved Council Programme, “Our Future Highland”.

The Highland Council has a net budget of £712 million which we use to provide many essential services across a region covering a third of Scotland.

Highland Council Budget Challenge

A summary of the Council's Budget Challenge engagement with communities and staff.

Highland is a great place to live, work and do business. It's home to 238,000 people and welcomes millions of visitors each year.

We know we will have less money in the future and we want to focus our resources on key priorities.

Council tax; income from fees and charges; and use of balances contribute to our budget, but the biggest part is grant funding from Scottish Government.

As a result of increasing costs and inflation, we expect our budget to decrease further in the next three years.

Our options are to reduce our costs, to increase our income, or a mixture of both.

Although our budget has greatly reduced over the past few years we’re still continuing to invest in some really big projects, and work with partners to boost the economy and create jobs.  We plan to invest £343 million over the next 5 years in capital projects such as schools, infrastructure and housing.