Bolton set for cash boost of nearly £100m – what it means for the town

But if other grants and finances work in Bolton’s favour the council could be able to invest in services, instead of making cuts.

This comes after the provisional local government finance settlement 2026-2027 to 2028-2029 unveiled a £92.5M boost for the borough.

Council leader Cllr Nick Peel said: “When we deliver the budget in February there will be additional details about the position and other grants.

“But this now means that the worst-case scenario is that there will be no additional cuts.

Bolton Council will present its next budget in February (Image: Anthony Moss)

“Anything better than that means we will actually be able to make further investments in services.”

Around £7.8M worth of cuts was set out at the last council budget, while the authority is now consulting on a council tax rise of 4.99 per cent.

But the new multi-year funding settlement will see councils across England receive a total of around £78billion, with bigger shares aimed at more deprived areas.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government says that the “fair funding” settlement aims to help council like Bolton get more resources to bring back key assets.

These could be libraries, youth services, clean streets, community hubs and other facilities like them. 

Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Steve Reed said:  “This is a turning point, a chance to turn the page on a decade of cuts and callousness, and for local leaders to invest in getting back what has been lost, to bring back libraries, youth services, clean streets, and community hubs. 

“For too long, deprived communities were left behind.

“Today we’re ending the postcode lottery so everyone can access the services their community deserves.” 

In Bolton’s case, the government says the settlement means a 27 per cent increase in the council’s spending power.

Bolton South and Walkden MP Yasmin Qureshi said: “After 14 years of Tory austerity, Labour is putting money back into our local services. 

“This £92.5m cash injection for our area will make a real difference to people’s everyday lives by boosting the services we all rely on.

“It means more money for our high streets, our libraries, our roads and for cleaner streets. 

“Working alongside Cllr Nick Peel and officers at Bolton Council, I made representations to the Secretary of State to ensure that Bolton got the investment we deserve.  

“The Labour government is reversing Tory decline and investing in Britain’s renewal.” 

Groups like the Institute for Fiscal Studies have welcomed the funding reform but have warned just over 40 per cent of English councils are still likely to see their funding fall in real terms.

They say this is the case even if they increase council tax by its legal maximum level.

In the House of Commons, shadow local government minister David Simmonds said the “undertaker Prime Minister is ushering many councils towards their financial doom”.

He said: “This is a tax-raising, job-destroying, housing-hobbling, rate-raising, service-slashing, community-crippling, election-cancelling settlement that fails even on its intended purpose of shunting resources to politically favoured areas.”

Source – INDIA TV