What is a 'needs-based budget'?

A Needs‑Based Budget (sometimes called a People’s Budget) is a local authority budget built around what a community actually needs, rather than what the government’s funding envelope allows. It rejects the idea that councils must simply manage decline, cut services, or “do more with less”.

 

 Why does it matter?

Across the country, services are being cut because government funding has fallen year after year. People are told there is no money and that councils have no choice. A needs‑based budget challenges that idea. It argues that services should be protected, that communities should not carry the burden of austerity, and that councils can use the powers they already have to defend local services. This approach has worked before and it can work here.

 

 Why Bristol needs this approach?

Bristol faces some of the sharpest pressures in the country and this has got worse over the past two decades. Housing costs are among the highest outside London. Bus routes have been cut or have become unreliable. Youth services have been reduced despite rising need. Social care is stretched and cost‑of‑living pressures are affecting households across the city. After a decade of cuts, Bristol needs a budget that starts with people’s needs, not with what’s left.

 

What do we need from you?

To build a Bristol needs‑based budget, we need the voices of the people who live and work here. Your experiences and priorities will shape a budget that reflects real need.

Tell us what matters most to you, whether that’s affordable housing, reliable buses, youth services, safer streets or help with the cost of living. Share your experiences of Bristol’s services so we can understand what works, what doesn’t and what has become harder to access. Encourage others to take part so that as many voices as possible are heard.

And add your voice to the campaign for fair funding, because a needs‑based budget is not just a financial plan, it is a community campaign to defend the services Bristol deserves.