New funding deal sees Bolton services in line for £12M boost

This comes after the latest provisional local government settlement for 2026/27 set out funding for councils across England over the next three years.

Bolton Council had hoped that the “worst case scenario” would mean that no further cuts would have to be made in the upcoming budget in February.

But now the authority says that rather than making cuts, the settlement will allow it to add to its budget.

Bolton Council leader Cllr Nick Peel said: “After years of declining budgets and service cuts, this settlement from national government provides much needed support for Bolton residents. 

Bolton Council has already said it will be making no new cuts in February (Image: Anthony Moss)

“Additional funding for the next financial year allows us to boost children’s services budgets by a further £11m a year, with a further £1.4m a year for adults.

“It also means the additional investments in into neighbourhood services, previously announced in February 2024, can be continued.

“The move to a three-year funding settlement also gives us more certainty to plan and invest in the services that our residents rely on.

“Earlier drafts of the settlement were less favourable to Bolton, and I am particularly pleased the government has listened to our feedback and provided the additional resources we need to fund vital frontline services.

“While we welcome this news, like all councils, we still face significant pressures and rising demand for our services.

“We now need to review the numbers in more detail and getting to work to deliver the very best for Bolton.”

The council had around set out around £7.8M worth of cuts was set out in its last budget and is already consulting on a council tax rise of 4.99 per cent.

This is the legal limit that authorities can raise council tax by without the need to hold a local referendum.

But the new multi-year settlement from the government 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 it has designed the “fair funding” formulae to allow councils like Bolton to put more funding back into services.

Source – INDIA TV