Budgets and spending

The Medium Term Financial Strategy ("MTFS") is a five-year rolling plan, taken to cabinet in September. It is a strategic document produced to provide members with an indication of the potential size of the authority's revenue budget over the next three years, the anticipated resource levels and the impact of this on our activities.

The MTFS provides a context for the budget and enables the council to consider the medium-term impact of financial and performance decisions with the knowledge of the potential impact on the levels of council tax in the following five years.

It allows the council to identify expenditure trends, plan developments and identify the impact on the revenue budget.

The Financial Plan is set in October and establishes a guideline budget for each department for the following financial year. Departments develop their detailed budget for council in February.

Our Wiltshire council's business plan 2013-2017 reflects the council's key priorities to continue:

• To invest in our front line services
• Protect the most vulnerable in our communities
• To make the savings and efficiencies needed to do this

Progress reports are intended to give a rounded picture, covering performance against our outcomes, progress on major programmes and information about the council's workforce. They provide information on performance relating to priorities such as safeguarding vulnerable children and adults, waste management, housing, economy, employment, and public health.

We have created a interactive system so you can see how we are performing against our targets in the business plan.