Title

FINANCE

Brighton's finances in 'perilous position'

Brighton & Hove City Council’s finances are in an ‘extremely perilous position’, the local authority’s leader has warned.

Brighton & Hove City Council's finances are in an ‘extremely perilous position', the local authority's leader has warned.

Cllr Bella Sankey said the council was facing a budget gap of £31m next year and would have to find millions in savings.

She added that while many councils have been forced to issue section 114 notices – effectively declaring bankruptcy – Brighton & Hove CC were not in that position yet.

Cllr Sankey said: ‘The council's finances are in an extremely perilous position.

‘There was absolutely nothing in the Autumn Statement to provide relief for this council or local authorities who have faced a decade of heartless central government austerity or any real-world financial help for struggling families.'

‘While we await the final detail on the local government settlement, we will almost certainly have to find millions more savings next year than planned because the government has chosen to ignore the crisis in local government funding,' she added.

FINANCE

Changing places, not just boundaries: what's missing from the LGR announcement

By Adele Gritten | 02 November 2026

As the dust starts to settle following last week’s government announcement on reorganisation, Adele Gritten says better services, stronger places and sustain...

FINANCE

LGR cannot stagger on as a zombie policy

By Jonathan Carr-West | 30 October 2026

Jonathan Carr-West says there’s clearly a sense in the sector that the window to get reorganisation back on track is rapidly closing, and it’s not clear this...

FINANCE

April 2029 vesting day for all areas as ministers recommit to reorganisation

By Dan Peters | 29 October 2026

Ministers have insisted Whitehall is ‘committed to seeing local government reorganisation through’ as they announced an April 2029 vesting day for 20 areas.

FINANCE

A balanced first step on fiscal devolution

By David Phillips | 29 October 2026

The fiscal devolution roadmap makes it clear the system will allow areas to gain financially from growth, but with guardrails in place to cap the biggest fal...

Popular articles by William Eichler

-->