Enfield Council has now published its budget for 2025/26 against a backdrop of significant financial challenges, faced in common with all local authorities. The focus has been to ensure that Enfield continues to provide high-quality public services as well as building a cleaner, safer and fairer borough.
Like all local authorities, Enfield Council faces significant budgetary pressures because of years of government underfunding, increasing costs and skyrocketing demand for many of our services from residents impacted by the cost-of-living crisis.
We welcome the new Government’s funding increase for 2025/26. However, we have a long road ahead to repair the damage of years of underfunding. This means we have had to make the very difficult decision to increase Council Tax for this year to protect the services our communities need. Analysis by the Institute of Fiscal Studies undertaken in 2023 showed that Enfield is the 7th most underfunded authority in the country. We will continue to work with the Government to get fairer funding for Enfield.
Cllr Ergin Erbil, Leader of Enfield Council said, “We are making tough financial decisions while carefully managing public money in a responsible way. At the same time, we are investing in our communities— achieving cleaner and safer streets, building new homes and parks, improving roads, council estates and schools, and funding opportunities for future generations through skills programmes, grants, and so much more. We are also protecting the most vulnerable in our borough, including those who rely on adult and children’s social care.
“We want a cleaner and greener Enfield. In 2025/26 we will be spending £10m on keeping our parks and open spaces clean and tidy and £39.4m on keeping our street clean including combatting the scourge of fly-tipping suffered by all London boroughs. We will also continue to work closely with the Police to create a safer Enfield through action. Operation Pisces, for example, has led to a significant drop in crime and anti-social behaviour in the borough over the last 6 months.”
Enfield Council has recently taken the prudent step of applying to the Government for Exceptional Financial Support for £30 million. This application requests permission from the Government for Enfield to use its own capital receipts for revenue spending up to this amount, if necessary, without incurring additional borrowing or debt costs. This will significantly reduce the risk of the Council needing to use its precious reserves in future years as it puts further steps in place to safeguard its financial sustainability. Although £5m from reserves have been earmarked for the 2025/26 budget the Council is committed to identifying further savings during the course of the financial year to reduce any need for this call down.
The 2025/2026 Enfield Council budget is subject to agreement at Cabinet on 26 February and Full Council on 27 February 2025.