Tendring District Council’s leader has expressed the authority’s disappointment with the government’s failure to increase its grant funding.

Mark Stephenson said that TDC was expecting a “modest increase” under the government’s financial settlement because it is a council with higher needs.

The settlement proposals were welcomed initially because they covered several years, giving TDC more “certainty and stability”. But closer examination revealed that the settlement was a “bit of a mixed blessing”, said Cllr Stephenson.

He added: “The change to the formula should, in principle, favour councils with higher needs and we were expecting to potentially see a modest increase in our grant funding – especially following the publication of the updated National Deprivation Indices late last year. Unfortunately, that has not proved to be the case and we plan on writing to the Government to express our disappointment.”

However, Cllr Stephenson said that while the council had hoped for an increase, it hadn’t relied upon it, so its two-year plans have “not been negatively affected” and frontline services wouldn’t be affected.

The two-year plan is designed to see the council through to 2028, by which time it could be replaced, along with Essex County Council, by a new unitary authority.

Under TDC’s budget proposals for 2026/27, its share of council tax will increase by 2.99%, meaning that the average Band D property would pay £205.48 per year for TDC services – or just under £3.95 per week.

The budget proposals include £300,000 of investment in essential repairs to council buildings and assets, £196,000 over two years to support the Beach Patrol service, £40,000 towards the cost of putting on the Clacton Airshow in 2026 and 2027, along with £500,000 towards the extension of Clacton Cemetery.

The cabinet’s budget recommendations will be presented to the full council for the final decision on February 17.