We welcome the Government’s commitment to invest in our communities, particularly the additional funding announced for social housing.
This is a vital area that directly impacts the lives of our residents.
However, while these headline figures are encouraging, we will need to see the detailed breakdown to understand exactly how much of this funding will reach Havering.
The Spending Review also referenced an increase in core spending power for councils.
While any uplift is welcome, it is important to note that much of this increase will likely rely on councils raising council tax.
This approach is not a sustainable solution to the financial challenges that we face. In Havering, it is well known that we are already grappling with significant budget pressures, but it’s unfair and unacceptable to expect residents to foot the bill.
We also note the additional investment announced for the NHS and Social Care, which is of course needed.
The level of funding announced however will not solve the national funding gap for Social Care and we hope that the Government will recognise this and urgently review this area.
Without a sustainable funding model for Social Care, the pressures on both local authorities and the NHS will continue to mount.
We are particularly keen to see progress on the long-awaited local government funding reform.
The review of the funding formula which will come into effect from 2026/27 is critical to ensuring a fairer distribution of resources that reflects the needs of boroughs like Havering, where changing population pressures and service demands continue to grow. This must be addressed before multi-year settlements are brought in.
We note the extra funding for schools and hope the white paper planned in the autumn will begin to address the shortfall in funding in special education needs (SEND).
We remain committed to delivering essential services for our residents, but we need a fair and sustainable funding settlement to do so.
We will continue to lobby the Government for a fairer deal for Havering and would urge residents to go to our website and sign our petition and lobby their MP.