Four councils in north-west England will receive millions in government funding to improve local services and cover budget shortfalls.
Cheshire East receives £43 million as a loan, while Halton gets nearly £53 million. Trafford will receive about £10 million, and Wirral will get nearly £28 million
More councils need government help this year, and the current support process started back in 2020. The government wants to help councils and aims to improve local services. The BBC contacted political parties for their views.
Thirty councils across England get “exceptional support” from the government ministry. They can borrow money with this support and councils can sell assets, too. This helps cover daily costs, but they cannot sell community assets for money.
The government offers £69 billion for local finance, covering 2025-26. It’s an increase of 6.8% from last year.
Cheshire East gets £25.3 million for next year, and they also get £17.6 million for 2024-25. They reported an £18.3 million funding gap.
Halton gets £32 million for next year and secured nearly £21 million for 2024-25. The council faces a budget shortfall that is nearly £20 million.
Trafford will get almost £10 million and needs money to fix a £12 million deficit. They cut £300 million from their budget over 14 years.
Wirral asked the government for £40 million, but will receive £7.5 million for next year. They also get £20 million to cover 2024-25 and need to make £25 million in cuts. Libraries could close, along with job cuts.
The government works to improve councils and ensure taxpayer money is spent well. The government will provide multi-year settlements starting in 2026-27, and most councils will raise council tax soon. The planned increase is around 4.99%.