25/10/2026
The financial pressures facing Bracknell Forest are serious and residents deserve considerably more than another exchange of political accusations. We welcome the Conservatives group leaders challenging the Government's funding settlement, but their letter and subsequent commentary tell only part of the story. The real issue is not simply how much money the council receives, but how effectively that money is managed, what has been done to control expenditure and whether there is a credible plan for the years ahead.
We also need to understand how we arrived here, looking beyond the current administration.
The Local Government Association (LGA) independently reviewed Bracknell Forest Council in November 2021, under the Conservatives and again in March 2026, under Bracknell Labour. Those two reports make revealing reading.
The 2021 review praised much of Bracknell Conservatives' financial management, including healthy reserves, financial oversight and the services being delivered. Those achievements deserve recognition but it also identified shortcomings in SEND provision, an existing deficit in the High Needs schools budget and the need for longer-term planning as the council prepared for future leadership and organisational changes.
Five years later, the picture was considerably more troubling, with the March 2026 review identifying an £18.75 million three-year budget gap, reliance on reserves and at the time, no sufficiently developed plan to address the council's financial challenges. It called for stronger forecasting, better financial controls, improved councillor oversight and a coherent, council-wide programme of savings and transformation.
The reviewers also questioned whether the management structure was too top-heavy, highlighted opportunities to improve asset management and noted that the Cambium Partnership had not delivered the financial returns originally anticipated.
These are not political accusations but findings from independent reviews conducted under two different administrations.
The Conservatives cannot pretend that every difficulty began when Labour took office in 2023, particularly when SEND pressures and the need for longer-term planning were already recognised during their administration. Labour, meanwhile, cannot escape responsibility for the far more serious financial weaknesses identified in March 2026 or simply attribute them all to Westminster.
The council's 2026/27 budget faced an initial £10.1 million gap, requiring savings, another maximum 4.99% Council Tax increase and substantial use of reserves. The Labour administration approved an action plan following the March review in May, so residents are entitled to know precisely what has been delivered since, what savings are recurring and whether the structural gap is genuinely being reduced.
Council Tax increases alone do not prove financial mismanagement, especially when statutory costs are rising. Nevertheless, the Conservatives' criticism is selective, as their own final budget imposed the same 4.99% maximum in 2023/24, subsequently repeated every year under Labour. The real test for both administrations is what they achieved with residents' money.
The funding problem was also known well before October, as all four political groups raised concerns with ministers in August 2025, with the Conservatives challenging the settlement in February. With opposition councillors having access to senior officers and important scrutiny roles, residents are also entitled to ask how effectively they have challenged the financial weaknesses now documented by the LGA.
The original Conservative letter and subsequent commentary have also presented the funding figures differently. Rather than argue over competing interpretations, we want the council to publish a clear, reconciled explanation of the actual funding changes and their effect on services.
Peter Swallow, MP for Bracknell must also explain why he recorded no vote on either relevant parliamentary division on 11 February and what representations he has made to safeguard Bracknell's interests.
We firmly believe that the Government must be challenged over the funding settlement but letters to ministers cannot substitute for responsible financial management, just as political criticism cannot substitute for effective opposition.
Reform UK Bracknell wants a fully costed, independently scrutinised financial recovery programme, with clear savings targets, stronger expenditure and procurement controls, proper management of SEND and social care pressures, as well as regular public reporting against the LGA recommendations. Every significant area of discretionary spending should demonstrate its value, while essential statutory services must be protected.
Bracknell Forest still has genuine financial strengths and those must be preserved rather than gradually consumed by short-term solutions.
While the Conservative opposition has a record of poor scrutiny to answer for, Labour still has a council to run and a financial recovery to deliver. Residents deserve accountability from both and leadership capable of putting the borough's finances on a sustainable footing.
