The Conservative Group at South Cambridgeshire District Council has published an alternative budget proposal focused on responsible decision-making, long-term planning and fairness for residents, while maintaining a strong and resilient financial position for the council.
The proposals demonstrate that by making different choices, the council can protect key priorities, plan ahead for future pressures and maintain financial stability - all without increasing the burden on local households, through a proposed freeze in council tax.
The opposition group has consistently opposed the four-day working week, and the alternative budget sets out plans to scrap the policy, delivering savings for the council. The proposals also include bold measures to restructure the senior leadership team, creating capacity for more frontline staff and improved service delivery.
Conservative Group Leader, Cllr Heather Williams said:
“I’m incredibly proud of the hard work my group has done to prove that there is another way to the Lib Dems putting up council tax just because they can. Supporting local residents is everything that drives us and guides us in the decisions we make as a Conservative group. We know it’s hard to see veterans struggling. We understand the sheer frustration of the state of our roads. And we hear residents when they say how unfair the 4-day week is. But we haven’t just heckled from the side lines as the Lib Dems did in opposition - we have been upfront and clear how we can do all of that whilst freezing council tax and having money aside to weather the storm on a rainy day.”
“Different choices can and should be made. No council should ever tax when they don’t need to. We stand by the principle of low taxation and fairness as to how our money is spent. That is everything that this alternative budget proposal does.”
The Conservative Group’s budget proposals will be scrutinised alongside the Lib Dem-run administration’s budget at the Scrutiny & Overview Committee meeting tomorrow evening, ahead of the Full Council meeting next month. The proposals can be viewed here: Agenda for Scrutiny and Overview Committee on Thursday, 15 January 2026, 5.30 p.m.
