Leeds City Council has already made cuts of more than £50 million
Councils across the country are facing a multi-billion pound black hole in their finances, and Leeds City Council is no exception. An investigation into local government finances by the BBC Shared Data Unit revealed the black hole in their budgets. Around the country councils will need £5.2 billion to balance the books by April 2026.
On average, the predicted deficit sits at £33 million per council, with Unison saying this means some councils will be unable to offer the "legal minimum of care". Across 190 surveyed authorities, £5.2 billion in savings would need to be made by April 2026, even after cuts of £2.5 billion this year.Mike Short, the Head of Local Government at Unison, said: "Council finances are in the direst of states.
"As staff leave, there's no money to replace them, which piles on the pressure for those remaining. In social work, staff shortages have led to excessive workloads, putting vulnerable families at risk. Decent, well-resourced public services are essential. They're a driver of economic growth and the fabric holding communities together.
Councillor Shaun Davies, the Chair of the Local Government Association, pointed towards "Inflation, the National Living Wage, energy costs and ongoing increasing demand for services" as being behind the increasing costs. He said councils were having to make cutbacks in order to meet their duty to balance the books.
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