Budget Engagement Survey 2026/27
Budget Engagement Update 2026/27
Following on from our analysis of the responses, please find update below.
More than 5,000 Lambeth residents fed back on how the local authority could direct its spending over the next four years. This comes at a time where rising demand for essential council services, and the rising costs of providing those services, is putting huge pressure on the council’s budget.
Lambeth, in common with many councils across the capital, faces a serious financial challenge due to both funding levels and rising demand for vital services.
Savings worth £84million must be found by Lambeth Council over the next four years to set a balanced budget as required by law, meaning difficult choices must be made about prioritising where the remaining money will go.
Residents said the council should prioritise spending on waste and street cleaning, tackling violence and anti-social behaviour and services that support vulnerable residents. They also suggest making efficiencies like renting out council buildings and increasing income by holding more commercial events as ways to help close the budget gap.
The new council report sets out how the feedback will be put into action.
Cllr Judith Cavanagh, Lambeth Council’s interim Cabinet Member for Finance, said: “We thank the thousands of residents who shared their ideas for how we can best meet our budget challenge.
“Like many councils up and down the country trying to balance the books due to demand pressures on statutory services and a generation of chronic underfunding by previous governments, Lambeth faces a significant funding crisis. Despite growing demand for essential services, council’s finances have faced real terms cuts in central government funding since 2010.
“We are determined to protect the frontline services our most vulnerable residents rely on the most, but it’s really important we do that with the input of local people, getting their views on where we can best spend our remaining budget.”
In addition to the 5,155 people who completed the budget survey, discussions were held in person at in-person meetings, and an easy read version was produced for people with learning disabilities.
To have more detailed discussions with under-25s the council held conversations at the in-person Children in Care Council meeting, the SEND Youth Council meeting and a meeting of the Youth Council.
When asked for their top three priorities for the council to spend money on, the most selected priority was ‘cutting violence and anti-social behaviour’. This was chosen by 40 per cent of respondents. The second and third-most popular priorities were ‘waste, recycling and street cleaning’, and children’s social care, which were chosen by 39 per cent and 31 per cent of respondents, respectively.
The new report also sets how efficiencies are being made in the council’s budget in line with residents’ ideas, including renting out council office space, cutting the number of senior managers, moving more services online using digital technology and artificial intelligence which provides opportunities to improve services for local people, and raising more income through holding commercial events.
As part of this budget update, the impact of the national funding changes and provisional local government finance settlement have also been set out for the first time following the government’s national consultation in 2025.
Cllr Cavanagh said: “ The first multi-year settlement from government in nearly a decade is welcome and provides stability for councils to take a longer-term view.
“The council’s lobbying for changes to the consultation to support inner-city areas like Lambeth has had some success, with additional support for the council over the next three years. Additional funding above our expectations is welcome and while these positive changes are encouraging, they cannot undo over a decade of structural underfunding from previous central governments.
“The overall funding position and the challenging financial situation means the council will need to find more savings ahead and will have to apply for further financial support from the government. This additional support will enable the council to make the necessary transformation that will ensure we are able to deliver our savings whilst protecting services putting us on a path to a secure financial future.
“We are proud that we have managed to maintain funding for vital services where possible that support some of our most vulnerable residents. Councils will need further, sustained support to protect the services their residents depend upon, and we will continue making the case to government and lobby for more resources on behalf of Lambeth and our residents.”
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Budget Engagement Survey 2026/27
Budget challenge – Have your say
We need to identify £84 million in savings over four years. This is on top of £99 million already established.
Massive demand for temporary accommodation and other essential support has put us in an unprecedented financial position.
We need to make tough choices about the future of council services. Help us decide how we spend local taxes by taking our budget survey.
In total we must save £183m over the next four years, equivalent to 40 per cent of our annual budget. We’ve already agreed £99 million of savings, now we need to find £84 million more.
This will require tough choices about the future of council services, and we want you to get involved. What are your priorities for local spending? Do you have ideas for how the council can save money or raise income?
Help shape Lambeth’s future. Take part in our budget challenge survey now.
Please find easy read version of the survey if needed.
We’ve already taken budget action
We’ve been taking the tough action needed to secure the council’s future, making savings across the board while prioritising protecting the services that support the most vulnerable. That includes plans to cut senior staff costs by more than £1million a year, a recruitment freeze, an end to all non-essential spending and a pause and review of the council’s capital investment programme to reduce costs.
How can you help?
Apart from answering the survey, as a Lambeth resident, your everyday decisions can impact the council’s savings considerably.
Lots of people in Lambeth need our support either in person or on the phone. To ensure we have the resources to help them, please contact the council online if you can. This is cheaper and quicker than in-person or telephone interactions. It also means we can use our resources on those who need them most.
Instead of going to a commercial gym you could support council services and institutions by using council run leisure services and events spaces. Find out more about event spaces you can hire on the council website.
Waste is a large expense for the council, and you can help us by producing less of it, recycling correctly when you do, and avoiding fly-tipping. The Lambeth website has more information on what to recycle and where your local recycle centers and drop offs are.
Volunteering with local groups and voluntary services can help improve and increase local support, which can in turn reduce the burden on council-funded services. Find out about volunteering support we offer on the Lambeth website
You can take part in consultations online and engage with the council, helping us gain more insight and data to improve our services. This could also include ideas on application processes, eliminating unnecessary licences and more.
By reporting problems early, like overflowing bins, potholes or broken streetlights we can cut costs by preventing larger, more expensive repairs or issues later.
By walking, cycling and using public transport instead of driving you can also help reduce road maintenance and pollution costs.
Consider fostering a child who might be in Lambeth’s care. If you already foster a child in Lambeth but go through an agency, consider doing it through the council instead, as it can save the council a lot of money on agency fees. If you want to know more, you can hear about fostering from our foster carers on the Lambeth website.
Our Fairer Funding campaign
We are calling for changes to the way local councils are funded by the government. The government are consulting on a new funding formula for local councils and we have expressed our strong concerns that the proposed formula could see Lambeth lose out on tens of millions of pounds of funding. We don’t think this is fair and we’re fighting hard to protect local services.
For any queries, you can contact engagement@lambeth.gov.uk