The Issue
Budgeting and forecasting in Local Government is a balancing act between strategic priorities, service delivery, and financial sustainability. Councils must manage competing demands, legislative requirements, and community expectations, all while ensuring that cash flow is sufficient to meet operational and capital commitments.
With multiple departments contributing to the budget process and frequent changes in project timing or funding, maintaining a clear and accurate financial picture can be challenging.
What we do for you
We understand that budgeting and forecasting are not just compliance tasks—they are essential tools for decision-making and long-term planning. Our team has worked with Councils across a range of sizes and structures, and we bring that experience to help you strengthen your financial planning processes.
We can help you by:
- Reviewing your current budgeting framework and identifying opportunities for improvement.
- Supporting the development of annual and long-term financial plans that align with strategic objectives.
- Assisting with the design and implementation of cashflow forecasting models tailored to your Council’s operations.
- Providing guidance on integrating capital works planning, grant funding, and operational budgeting into a cohesive financial strategy.
- Facilitating workshops with finance and operational teams to build capability and ownership of the budgeting process.
- Facilitating workshops with Elected Members to assist in their understanding of the Council’s challenges and budgetary constraints.
Every Council delivers a unique mix of services, but the need for accurate costing and revenue analysis is shared. At UHY, we help you make informed decisions based on a clear understanding of your financial drivers.
The benefits to you
- Improved visibility over future financial performance and funding needs.
- Greater confidence in decision-making and resource allocation.
- Enhanced collaboration across departments during the budget cycle.
- A more streamlined and defensible budget process for Council and Audit and Risk Committee review.
