Enfield welcomes announcement of additional Government support

Enfield Labour has welcomed the announcement of additional support from the Government. The Government has announced Enfield Council will receive £10 million in Exceptional Financial Support (EFS) for the 2025/26 Financial Year.

Like all local authorities, under the Conservative Government Enfield faced a double whammy of underfunding and skyrocketing demand on statutory services such as social care, homelessness and SEND. However, we’re now working shoulder to shoulder with the new government to tackle the many challenges we’re facing. While Enfield Council will have to repay the £10 million awarded under the EFS scheme, the Government has abolished the additional 1% premium levied by the previous Government.

Leader of Enfield Council Ergin Erbil said; “The announcement of £10 million in additional support for Enfield is very welcome. Make no mistake, while Enfield has been savaged by cuts forced by the underfunding of local government by the previous Conservative Government, Enfield Labour has, and will continue to, set a balanced budget and not raise Council Tax above the 5% limit.

“The EFS funding allows us to use our capital receipts to fund this exceptional financial support without additional borrowing or debt costs. This responsible approach to budget planning will allow us to use our own funds to create a safety net to protect us from external risk. We welcome the fact that the new Labour Government are seeking to work with councils seeking this funding to protect our communities and ensure we continue to see value for money, rather than punishing councils further by levying an additional 1% onto the cost of borrowing this money. Additionally, we have balanced the books again despite serious financial challenges and we are not in danger of having to issue a Section 114 Notice.

Enfield’s EFS amount totals £30m. EFS will be split over two years with £20 million given in 2024-25 and £10 million in 2025-26. The government understands that many councils are facing financial difficulties and wants to work together to provide support. Despite the challenges, we’ll continue to work with the government and our partners to provide good services for our communities.”