Appendix 2

Ashdown Forest Medium Term Financial Plan

	2025/26	2026/27	2027/28	2028/29
INCOME SUMMARY	£	£	£	£
Licences & Forest Rate	209,147	204,240	209,049	214,099
Unrestricted funding (WDC,T/PCs)	201,544	759,190	231,747	234,004
Car Parking	360,000	428,540	340,000	346,460
Income generation and Donations	24,027	12,303	12,351	12,400
Forest Products incl. Meat and Deer Carcasses	26,118	20,502	22,525	22,915
Visitors	22,621	27,412	22,805	23,734
Financial	15,000	12,000	5,000	4,000
CS Recharges	163,816	181,086	184,765	188,549
Other Restricted Funding	60,000	139,690	71,400	72,002
Total Core Income	1,082,273	1,784,963	1,099,642	1,118,163
Countryside Stewardship Funding from Natural England	748,261	791,563	791,563	791,563
Total Countryside Stewardship Income	748,261	791,563	791,563	791,563
TOTAL INCOME	1,830,534	2,576,526	1,891,205	1,909,726
	2025/26	2026/27	2027/28	2028/29
EXPENDITURE SUMMARY	£	£	£	£
Core Forest Staff Costs	470,509	547,467	561,464	589,715
Operational expenses	213,598	360,883	217,270	218,292
Administration Overheads	131,543	200,381	149,189	152,023
Financial	32,856	23,864	24,318	24,780
Visitors	10,851	10,547	7,748	7,895
Capital purchases -Core	41,866	95,614	35,336	36,007
Governance/charity set up	1,642	66	67	68
Car Parking	132,855	103,782	105,858	107,975
Expenditure from Ringfenced Funding	37,445	408,209	26,685	27,364
Total Core Expenditure	1,073,165	1,750,813	1,127,935	1,164,119
Staff Costs (Countryside Stewardship)	429,734	393,016	403,266	413,804
CS Work Programme Project Expenditure	343,253	401,566	388,491	394,974
Total CS Expenditure for Funded Projects	772,987	794,582	791,757	808,778
TOTAL EXPENDITURE	1,846,152	2,545,395	1,919,692	1,972,897
Core Budget Surplus/(Deficit)	9,108	34,150	(28,293)	(45,956)
CS Budget Surplus/(Deficit)	(24,726)	(3,019)	(194)	(17,215)
Total Budget Surplus/(Deficit)	(15,618)	31,131	(28,487)	(63,171)

Movement in Reserve Balances	Core £	HLS* £	CS+ £
Reserves at 01/04/2025	471,232	223,304	566,009
Forecast movement 2025/26	176,003	-	(88,589)
Forecast balance 31/3/2026	647,235	223,304	477,420
Forecast movement 2026/27	34,150	-	(3,019)
Forecast balance 31/3/2027	681,385	223,304	474,401

+CS Reserves figures to be confirmed.

*The Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) programme ceased in 2016 the balance of funds will be spent in the spirit of the original agreement under the guidance of Natural England.