Council budget 2026/27

The council continues to focus on the increasingly difficult challenge of producing a balanced budget year on year. While over £180m of savings has already been taken out of the council’s budget since 2011/12 to meet persistent gaps in funding and address rising costs to services, further significant savings are still needed to address the scale of the challenges being faced.

Despite this challenge, a balanced budget will be achieved for 2026/27 through necessary savings and the use of council reserves, built up over years careful financial management. However, the current projected budget gap is now around £43m in 2027/28, which means significant savings in addition to those in the current budget must be found in the coming years to meet this gap.

While the palatable options for the budget continue to narrow, residents are asked for their views on what is important for council services over the next few years.

Engagement with residents continues to be important, with many residents directly helping to make the borough a place to be proud of and one where it’s a pleasure to live, work, and spend leisure time.

The ongoing financial challenges have not stopped Bromley being an effective and award-winning council, with many achievements taking place and some of the achievements from the last year outlined below.

Key council achievements

• Reopened six libraries across the borough following their refurbishment as Orpington Library reopened ahead of Christmas. The overall Library Refurbishment Programme being shortlisted for ‘Retrofit Project of the Year’ at The Building Awards.
• Recycled over half of all waste as the top London borough for recycling for the third year in a row, as virtually no waste was sent to landfill.
• Secured the future of the Churchill Theatre in Bromley Town Centre through a milestone agreement with Galliard Group.
• Achieved the national Silver Award accreditation for ongoing work to support the local armed forces community, being one of just seven London authorities to achieve this, with efforts well underway to achieving Gold accreditation.
• Services combatting loneliness were recognised in the New Years Honours List, in another success for Bromley’s award-winning and internationally recognised loneliness programme.
• Progressed the multi-million-pound refurbishment of the Walnuts leisure centre to reopen in Spring 2026, as works on a new leisure centre for West Wickham are also underway following the completion of demolition works.
• Received an ‘Outstanding’ rating for our Youth Justice Service, being one of only five across London to receive this highest grading following inspection, which follows the prior achievement of an Outstanding Ofsted rating across the board in Children’s Services.
• The newly refurbished St Paul’s Cray Library was shortlisted for the ‘Library of the Year’ at The British Book Awards, as works get underway on the creation of a new home for Bromley Central Library in a prime high street location.
• Delivered a state-of-the-art Health and Wellbeing Centre as part of Bromley’s new civic centre site, which opens to residents in January 2026, providing a range of healthcare services in the heart of the town centre, including a GP surgery.
• Continued to deliver the £1m Platinum Jubilee Parks Fund, with various park improvements delivered across the borough with the support of local groups.
• 95% of pupils attend schools rated ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ in Bromley with 96% for primary schools.
• Delivered new Bromley Homes for Bromley People in West Wickham and Orpington, delivering much-needed affordable housing for Bromley residents on the housing register, with further developments  underway across the borough. Works are
• Ten parks and green spaces in Bromley have been awarded the Green Flag Award for parks and greenspaces.
• Delivering more Bromley Homes for Bromley People at sites across the borough, including affordable housing developments progressing in West Wickham, Beckenham and at Bromley North, while also completing housing acquisition schemes to secure the properties needed to provide permanent homes for our residents facing homelessness.
• Received a ‘Good’ grading for Adult Education Services, with the inspection acknowledging many aspects of our offer were very strong and impactful.
• Three of Bromley’s Friends Groups achieved three ‘Green Flag Community’ Awards for supporting the borough’s parks and open spaces.
• The Crystal Palace Subway was shortlisted for ‘Restoration or Conservation Project of the Year’ at The National Museums and Heritage Awards, as the extensive park-wide regeneration plan continues to be delivered, including the restoration of the much-loved dinosaurs.
• Shortlisted for a Planning Institute Award and an award recognising the best performing Local Land Charges Department. 
• The Bromley Homeless Health Project was shortlisted for the ‘Public Health Award’ category at the LGC Awards.
• Securing a new home for children in the borough and launching Encompass Fostering, an in-house therapeutic fostering service for young people with more complex needs.
• Completed desilting works in Kelsey Park.
• Bromley is top for School Gold Awards in London.
• The Council in partnership with London South-East Colleges (LSEC) won the ‘Good for Me, Good for Further Education (FE)’ for the ‘Wellbeing Wednesday’ lunches. 

How much is the council's net budget?

The council has projected a net budget of £351 million for 2026/27.

Our spending includes

A large part of the council's services are funded by specific government grants which includes, for example, funding for schools and housing benefits. The council has very limited influence on how this money is spent.

The council has a statutory duty to have a balanced budget and action will be required to eliminate the budget gap which involves difficult choices.

The latest Government’s announcement will significantly reduce Bromley’s annual funding for council services Bromley will receive £22.2m less per year by 2028/29.

In the 2026/27, Bromley is budgeting to spend:

• £136 million on adult social care providing services from care assessment to home care, from support for those with physical disabilities, to support for those with learning disabilities and those with mental health issues
• £107 million is for children and young people and includes safeguarding and social care, special educational needs services, behavioural support, early years, education and schools
• £28 million on providing housing services
• £51 million is spent on the environment such as waste services, street cleaning, traffic, public protection, road safety and maintaining Bromley’s parks and green spaces
• £8 million for renewal and recreation covering services like our libraries, regenerating and managing our town centres, and our planning services
• £12m million is spent on concessionary fares (Freedom Passes).

How does the way the council is funded affect its budget?

• Bromley has the second lowest level of settlement funding per head of population in London
• When Council Tax bills were set last year, Bromley would have received £80.4m more if it received the average Government funding per head for London. Following the Government’s announcement, under the new arrangements, Bromley would receive £112m more for 2026/27 with the average Government funding per head.
• Even with the average settlement per head for Outer London, Bromley would receive an additional £74.7m in 2026/27.
• Bromley will receive £273 per head of population in 2026/7 compared to the average in London of £599 and the highest is £1,004. The council has expressed and continues to express serious concerns with the current and previous governments about the fairness of the funding system and to lobby for a fairer deal for our residents.
• Bromley has the fourth lowest council tax in Outer London and the lowest net spend per head in London in 2025/26.

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