Derry City and Strabane District Council has agreed its budget for the incoming 2026/27 year and set a District Rate increase for ratepayers of 4.48%.
The budget for the year will see an average rates bill increasing by £27.79 per year, or approximately 53p per week for the average domestic ratepayer.
The budget was set at a Special Meeting of Council today, where Elected Members agreed the rates, balancing the immediate cost-of-living pressures on citizens with the necessity of maintaining critical frontline services, while also delivering a transformative and ambitious capital investment programme.
Presenting the report to elected members at the meeting, Lead Finance Officer Alfie Dallas explained that the 4.48% increase consisted of two components – a sub-inflationary 2.68% baseline increase to cover statutory pressures and inflation with 1.8% of the increase relating to growth and new service development.
The 1.8% new rates investment in growth and new service development included new resources within Council’s City Deal team focusing on social value, benefits realisation, and inclusivity to support the transformative £307m programme of investment, as well as specific resources towards the implementation of Council’s poverty action plan.
In addition, with the design teams now in place for Council’s two exciting strategic leisure projects in Templemore and Strabane and recent endorsement of current masterplans, facility mixes and project scopes, the specific investment in this year’s rates would now ensure that funding of up to £120m is in place towards these projects as they now progressed to detailed design, consultation and planning.
