Government agrees financial support for Wirral Council
Central government has confirmed that a Wirral Council request for Exceptional Financial Support (EFS) has been agreed in-principle.
Wirral is one of 30 local authorities who have found themselves in a position where a request for EFS was deemed to be necessary in order for the council to balance its budget for the current financial year.
The £20m agreed by the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government for 2024-25 will also be supplemented by further financial support from the government of £7.5m in 2025-26.
While it is never ideal to have to ask for additional financial support, the government has recognised that despite the difficult decisions Wirral - and many other authorities in a similar position - have taken, significant challenges remain to meet the rising demand and costs for core services, such as social care.
We welcome their commitment to reforming the current system of funding for local authorities but understand that this work will take time.
In addition to providing £20m exceptional support to ensure Wirral can balance the budget for the coming financial year, we also welcome the £7.5m for 2026-27 that will enable the council to deliver the kind of transformational change we have earmarked that will put us on a sounder, more sustainable financial position in the longer-term.
