Cuts due to shrink amid £43m council funding boost

An extra £43m has been given to Leeds City Council by the government to help balance its books.

As well as £29.9m from additional "funding streams", it meant the amount the council had to make in savings in the next financial year was cut from £101.5m to £39.5m, according to the authority.

As part of budget proposals for 2026-27, council tax in Leeds was still expected to rise by 4.99%, including an addition of 2% to support social care costs.

Council leader James Lewis said the extra funding meant the authority could "turn back on austerity and start to look at building council services" and, along with the proposed council tax rise, it meant there were no plans to cut front-line services.

Lewis said: "We still face a challenge of having to provide value-for-money council services and the challenge every council has of having to set and run a balanced budget."

He said he did not foresee any reduction in job numbers within the council, but added that "it was always up for review during the year".

"We still have to really keep our eye on making sure it remains an organisation delivering value for money," Lewis explained.

"But this year, unlike many previous years, we're not having to go forward with a reduction in the number of facilities people in Leeds use."

Proposed measures to help meet necessary savings would include "adopting and utilising new technologies and ways of working", a Leeds City Council spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, the proposed council tax rise would mean people in band D properties would pay an additional £90 a year, of £1.74 a week, they added.

The planned savings for the next financial year come following the confirmation of a projected overspend during this financial year of about £40m.

Much of that sum was down to the cost of children's services and looked-after children, with the children and families budget increasing by £12.8m since August.

The cost of adult social care also contributed to the overspend.

Leeds City Council's budget proposals are due to be considered by the executive board on 17 December.

If approved, they are expected to go out for public consultation before final proposals are debated in February.

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.