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Liverpool City Council has unveiled a proposed budget that plans to invest an additional £100 million into local services over the next year. A significant portion of this increase, approximately £90 million, will be directed towards demand-driven areas such as adult social care, Children’s Services, and homelessness support, aiming to assist the city’s most vulnerable residents.
In addition to these frontline services, the council intends to dedicate over £7.5 million to enhancing parks, green spaces, and street maintenance, including rubbish collection and upkeep of grass verges. This investment will also create more than 100 new roles and apprenticeships targeted at young people within the community. Among the new positions will be 26 barrow walkers and street washers who will focus on addressing local “grotspots.” Plans include replacing the equipment in every play park across Liverpool and elevating parks to meet ‘Green Flag’ standards. These efforts build upon the £2.5 million committed last year for initiatives such as School Streets, which aim to increase safety for children and parents, ease daily life for residents and businesses, improve air quality, and promote active travel.
The council will also establish a Community Renewal Fund, allocating nearly £4 million over two years for ward councillors to collaborate with local groups to tackle deprivation and other localized issues. Furthermore, youth services are set to receive an extra £500,000 next year, which when combined with previous commitments, totals £1 million to support the recruitment of additional youth workers within communities. On the capital side, Liverpool plans to spend £231 million in 2026/27 on infrastructure projects including improvements to roads, safer and greener streets, schools, social care and health facilities, leisure centers, and energy-efficient buildings.
Following the Government’s announcement of a three-year funding settlement reflecting the outcomes of the ‘Fair Funding’ review—which considers factors like deprivation—Liverpool is projected to rise from the sixth to the fifth highest council in England by per capita spending (Core Spending Power) by 2029. This will bring an additional £186 million in funding from now through 2029, representing an increase of over 25 percent, with £69 million allocated in the 2026/27 financial year.
Council Leader Cllr Liam Robinson commented on the budget: “We now have a Government that is willing to listen to councils and take account of the needs of big cities such as Liverpool when allocating funding. As a result of this, we have received the best settlement for 15 years and, although it won’t replace the funding we lost during the austerity years, it enables us to make choices about where to make investments. We are choosing to rebuild services in our communities, which will mean cleaner streets, better parks and green spaces, and improved leisure and youth facilities. Because we have received a three year settlement, we are able to plan for the future with certainty, enable us to commit to investments that will make a visible and positive difference in communities over the coming years.”
Deputy Council Leader and Cabinet Member for Finances, Resources and Transformation, Cllr Ruth Bennett, added: “Making sure that we deliver better quality, value-for-money services is at the heart of every single budget decision that we make. We never forget it is public money that we are spending. We are making progress in modernising our back office processes to improve efficiency, as well as bringing in more of the income we are owed such as rent, Council Tax and Business Rates and reducing spend on posting letters by £900k. We are also delivering a big programme of transformation across those services which are demand-led such as children’s and adult services and homelessness, to make sure that they are sustainable in the longer term.” The council is proposing a 4.99 percent rise in Council Tax, consistent with most local authorities in England. The final budget decision will occur at a full council meeting scheduled for Wednesday 4 March
Read the full article on Liverpool Express here: Read More
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