Government confirms 35 councils to receive £1.5bn in exceptional financial support

The number of councils receiving EFS has increased from 29 for the 2025-26 financial year to 35 for the 2026-27 financial year, according to the information published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

The councils that are set to receive EFS are:

• Barnet: £79.6m (support agreed in-principle)
• Bedford: £58.0m (support agreed in-principle), £22.0m (support agreed in-principle for 2025-26)
• Bradford: £78.0m (support agreed in-principle)
• Brighton and Hove: £15.0m (support agreed in-principle)
• Cheshire East: £35.0m (support agreed in-principle)
• Croydon: £119.0m (support agreed in-principle). Note: For support agreed in-principle for 2025-26, this has been revised to £110.3m (from £136.0m)
• Cumberland: £11.834m (support agreed in-principle)
• East Sussex: £70.0m (support agreed in-principle)
• Gloucester: £9.05m (support agreed in-principle), £2.56m (support agreed in-principle for 2025-26), £3.89m (support agreed in-principle for 2024-25)
• Halton: £35.0m (support agreed in-principle)
• Haringey: £84.0m (support agreed in-principle). Note: For support agreed in-principle for 2025-26, this has been revised to £54.0m (from £37.0m)
• Havering: £77.0m (support agreed in-principle)
• Hillingdon: £62.0m (support agreed in-principle), £88.0m (support agreed in-principle for 2025-26)
• Isle of Wight: £12.9m (support agreed in-principle)
• Lambeth: £20.0m (support agreed in-principle), £46.0m (support agreed in-principle for 2025-26), £50.0m (support agreed in-principle for 2024-25)
• Medway: £10.126m (support agreed in-principle). Note: For support agreed in-principle for 2025-26, this has been revised to £28.469m (from £18.484m)
• Peterborough: £5.68m (support agreed in-principle), £4.96m (support agreed in-principle for 2025-26)
• Redbridge: £70.0m (support agreed in-principle)
• Redcar and Cleveland: £18.451m (support agreed in-principle)
• Sefton: £12.0m (support agreed in-principle)
• Shropshire: £121.0m (support agreed in-principle), £71.4m (support agreed in-principle for 2025-26)
• Slough: £42.899m (support agreed in-principle)
• Somerset: £30m (support agreed in-principle). Note: For support agreed in-principle for 2025-26, this has been revised to £45.118m (from £63.0m)
• Stoke-on-Trent: £10.5m (support agreed in-principle)
• Swindon: £22.3m (support agreed in-principle)
• Thurrock: £68.91m (support agreed in-principle). Note: For support agreed in-principle for 2024-25, this has been revised to £73.02m (from £96m), for 2025-26, this has been revised to £62.11m (from £72m)
• Trafford: £12.65m (support agreed in-principle)
• Waltham Forest: £19.0m (support agreed in-principle)
• Warrington: £92.047m (support agreed in-principle), £87.029m (support agreed in-principle for 2025-26)
• West Berkshire: £30.0m (support agreed in-principle). Note: For support agreed in-principle for 2025-26, this has been revised to £20.0m (from £3.0m)
• Windsor and Maidenhead: £48.754m (support agreed in-principle)
• Wirral: £6.0m (support agreed in-principle)
• Woking: £58.1m (support agreed in-principle)
• Worcestershire: £59.933m (support agreed in-principle)
• Worthing: £5.0m (support agreed in-principle). Note: For support agreed in-principle for 2025-26, this has been revised to £4.75m (from £2.0m)

Separately, the Government has agreed to provide £2.65m of in-principle capitalisation support to the City of London to manage financial pressures within its Housing Revenue Account (HRA) in 2026-27.

The Government said that councils applied for exceptional financial support in order to handle pressures that they considered “unmanageable” and to enable them to set balanced budgets.

The support is provided on an exceptional basis, and where relevant, on the condition that a local authority may be subject to an external assurance review.

Adam Carey