Council services in Slough could be cut due to ‘increasing financial pressures’

Services run by the council in Slough are to be scrutinised as part of a new review launched amid a multi-million pound budget deficit.

Spending on adult social care and temporary accommodation for homeless families, two of the council’s most expensive services, could see cuts.

Other measures to address the deficit include greater spending controls, such as a freeze on non-essential spending and a review of temporary staff and vacant staff positions.

Council leader Dexter Smith (Conservatives, Colnbrook and Poyle) said the ‘tough choices’ were ‘vital and essential’ because of the ‘serious state of the council’s finances’.

Slough Council identified an £11m budget deficit in July and made savings, but the financial picture has worsened as a £225m shortfall in planned income emerged.

The local government warned that “difficult decisions” would need to be made at a financial audit meeting earlier this month to discuss the budget deficit.

Around £400m was expected to be raised this year through the asset disposal scheme, a key source of the council’s funding, but only £175m has been raised so far.

The council has confirmed that reviews will be carried out across services in a bid to plug a ‘growing’ gap for the 2025/26 budget.

Updates on plans were provided to staff via email and through a briefing with the corporate leadership team.

Cllr Smith said: “The serious state of the council’s finances has long been on record, as has our promise to work tirelessly on the improvements needed to rebuild our council for the good of our borough.”

“The steps being taken now are vital and essential to Slough becoming financially sustainable. The results will not only flow into our budget for the next financial year, but will form a fundamental part of the improvement work happening across the council and how we want to work in the future, which must mean working even more closely with partners and residents.

“Like municipalities across the country, we face difficult choices and difficult decisions that must be fair to the communities we serve.”