From Brent Council
The government has announced its local government funding settlement, following the Fair Funding Review of how council funding is distributed. The settlement introduces an updated funding formula intended to better reflect councils’ relative needs, costs and service pressures.
The settlement marks a welcome shift away from short-term funding arrangements and provides councils with greater stability through a multi-year framework. It also restores a stronger emphasis on deprivation and need, which is particularly important for councils like Brent that face sustained financial pressures across social care, housing and homelessness services.
Against this backdrop, the settlement includes a welcome 9.9% increase in core funding for Brent next year, one of the highest increases in London.
We will now work through the detail of the settlement carefully to understand its full implications for Brent’s budget and medium-term financial strategy. Our focus will be on making every pound count, protecting frontline services by driving efficiencies behind the scenes, and using public money responsibly to support residents who need us most.
Councillor Mili Patel, Deputy Leader of Brent Council, said:
Brent was one of many communities that were disadvantaged when funding moved away from a focus on deprivation and need and was instead driven largely by population alone.
I am pleased that this settlement reverses that approach and puts the principle of fairness back at the heart of local government funding.
We will use this funding responsibly and sensibly to begin addressing the shortfalls in our budgets, particularly in the social care we provide for older people, disabled residents and children in care. These vital but often unseen services account for around two thirds of what the council spends, and they have borne the greatest pressure in recent years.
15 comments:
Meanwhile the homeless costs keeps rising at an unsustainable rate, because Brent's planning decisions and policy has forced up rents in the Borough, which is the driver of this unafordable homeless epidemic that has hit Brent harder than any of the above reasons. And it's all down to poor, selfish decisions by the Leader, Towerblock Tatler and others, while fully supported by hand picked Brent Officers.
Silly Labour decisions. Building massive Tower Blocks for sale rather than sensible family homes that Brent actually needs to tackle the housing crisis. AND all those Student Accommodation flats - none of them contribute any Council Tax needed to pay for local services. Will the extra money result in reversal of the Labour CUTS to essential services such as street cleaning, pavement repairs and ending the neglect of many of our Open Spaces?
Hard words, Anon, but pretty hard to disagree with!
Too true
Honestly, Labour used to be for ordinary people , it's now for self advancement and personal gain.
Meanwhile "Harrow Council is set to see a 31% increase in its core spending power compared with 2024/25. The increase is intended to support services including bin collections, housing, children’s services, libraries and youth provision."
https://harrowonline.org/2025/12/20/labour-councillors-welcome-100m-funding-boost-for-harrow-services/
Why does Harrow get more than Brent?
It does seem odd that a Tory Borough gets more than a Labour one! Maybe because the Labour Government want to win Harrow Council back from the Tories. It might just work. But how about Brent, well obviously Keith & Co expect to hold onto Brent Council at the elections in May, even with a substantially reduced majority.
The Financial Settlement is too little too late and Labor will lose loads of seats. Local people are fed up of dirty streets, unsafe pavements, stupid blue bags and much more and intent on giving Labor a bloody nose. How stupid of Labour to give away £17 million to an offshore Developer for steps to Wembley stadium and then claim there is no more more for essential Brent services.
The feeling on the streets is clear it is time to "Kick Labour Out".
You mean they don't care about Brent West and Harrow seats? I can understand that as they all look to be anti Labour and the Conservatives appear to be on the up, or you could call it a bounce
This is the councillor, one Cllr Dixon, who voted against the Mumbai Junction Planning Application and said it wasn't high enough as her reason! It was because she stated this reason/ploy that the planning officer was able to bring the application back again to the Planning Committee so it could be passed by Butt's Nodding Donkey committee members who had missed the meeting that did not give consent. It is also so sad that the councillor for the area could only reread what he's plagiarised from the residents’ association summary objection that he’d previously read out, from all accounts, he had no ideas of his own.
They’ll vote themselves a 9.9% increase in allowances now
The 5% council tax rise will generate £9.1m each year. Children residential care costs will increase by £4.4m in 2025/26 and £2.9m in 2026/27. The cost is £313k per child in 2024/25. £416k in 26 and £457k in 27.
£457k!!! It only costs £60k to send a child full board to Harrow. WTH is going on???
The increase this year is equal to half of what the council tax increase will raise. In what world is that not a staggering increase?
Loads of Brent Councillors are landlords. Even those that hide it. Butt which ones? Look the names up on Companies House
And local councillors will now also get pensions again under the current Labour government paid for by us residents.
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