Buses, libraries and road repairs face the squeeze as a council confronts a £179.7 million budget black hole.

The large gap is being forecast for 2027/28 by Hampshire County Council, despite planning £40.8 million in savings in the coming year, alongside a five per cent rise in council tax.

The warning comes as Conservative council leader Nick Adams-King admitted the huge shortfall could not be solved by cutting back-office costs alone.

For a Band D home, the county council share of the bill is set to rise by £80.28, from £1,609.83 to £1,690.11.

Yet the authority still expects to be nearly £180 million short the following year, which will be equivalent to around £124 for every Hampshire resident.

Its planned £40.8 million savings for 2026/27 amount to about £28 per resident.

Cllr Adams-King said: “The £179.7 million figure is a serious forecast based on current assumptions, rather than a final budget or a list of agreed service reductions.

“I will not pretend that a gap of this scale can be addressed through back-office efficiencies alone.”

He said the council had already delivered £95 million of planned savings and found another £40 million in cost cuts during the year.

A further £40.8 million of savings is built into the 2026/27 budget.

Cllr Adams-King said those measures had cut the predicted 2027/28 shortfall from £230 million last autumn to £179.7 million in March this year.

But he warned that, without more Government funding or greater freedom to raise money locally, it may not be possible to keep every frontline service at its current level.

The biggest financial pressures are in caring for older and disabled adults, protecting vulnerable children and providing transport for children with special educational needs and disabilities, he said.

Much of that spending is required by law. That means services where the council has more choice – such as road maintenance, supported bus routes, libraries, countryside services and other community support – could come under particular pressure.

No decisions have yet been made on the 2027/28 budget, and any specific cuts or changes would need to go through public scrutiny and, where needed, consultation.

Cllr Adams-King also refused to rule out asking the Government for emergency financial help in future, although Hampshire is not seeking it for 2026/27.

He said the council could use savings put aside for a rainy day only as a short-term fix because “they can be spent only once” and cannot solve an ongoing gap.