Leader’s “hopeful” response to Local Government Finance Settlement for 2025/26

Leading councillors at Blackburn with Darwen Council have welcomed yesterday’s funding announcement for local councils.

The Local Government Finance Settlement is the annual announcement of funding central government will give to local councils.

Leader Councillor Phil Riley and Executive Member Councillor Vicky McGurk have commented on the focus on longer term funding reform that support a focus on improving services that meet the needs of local communities.  

Councillor Phil Riley, Council Leader, said:

We are a can-do Council with an eye always on the future. The one-year finance settlement we’ve just received, and the promise of longer-term funding reforms that reflect the needs of areas like ours, gives us reason to be hopeful.

After many years, our needs have finally been recognised, as has the importance of providing good quality council services. We can make good use of the extra spending power, directed at rebuilding and improving services to build happier, healthier and safer communities.

Councillor Vicky McGurk, the Council’s Executive Member for Finance and Governance, added:

We have £5.3million in the form of a much-needed recovery grant, and also £4.4million extra funding specifically for social care. It’s a good start to replacing the funding we’ve lost since austerity began and will help us make sure nobody gets left behind and better tackle inequalities that exist.

Although there is still work to do, it’s really going to make a difference with efforts to have a sustainable budget following years of austerity, allowing our savings programme to be more focused on improvements rather than stopping services which we know people need and want to enjoy a good quality of life.