THE Liberal Democrat Group on Warrington Borough Council voted against the proposed 2026/27 Budget because it remains too reliant on Government rescue funding and does not yet achieve financial viability.
Group Leader Cllr Mark Browne said, “The Council remains under Government Best Value intervention following concern about borrowing levels, commercial investments and financial governance that have played a central role in the position we now face. A credible recovery requires acknowledging that reality and showing that the culture and discipline that were missing have now changed.
“No member of my Group underestimates the difficulty of the financial environment facing councils. We recognise all the hard work of officers and the constraints created by intervention, but these factors cannot turn an unsustainable position into a sustainable one, just by assuming that it is so. The Budget depends on Exceptional Financial Support from the Government to balance. That support is not locally generated income, nor sustainable savings, nor structural reform.
“Our responsibility as opposition members is not to just endorse what is placed before us. It is to judge whether the Council is moving decisively toward financial resilience and restored public trust. On the evidence before us, we do not believe this Budget provides that assurance. We support the objective of financial recovery and the protection of essential services, and we will work constructively with any administration to restore stability.
“We are pleased that at the end of the debate two members of the Cabinet apologised for the impact of the Council’s failings and the financial implications for future generations in paying off our debts.”
Finance Spokesperson, Cllr Ian Marks added, “The ‘Centre for Cities’ report states that Warrington had the highest growth rate of any town or city in the UK between 2013 and 2023. How is it we have a successful town yet a Council that is in such a mess? There have been some poor investments starting in 1989 with the Hatters Row lease for 125 years with a payment of £109,000 a year and no break clause. Dreadful. We opposed both the Redwood Bank and Together Energy investments because we did not have the necessary skills and experience to manage them. Nor did our Auditors, which is the main reason we got so far behind with our audits. Public finances in the country are broken and many councils are in trouble and have sought exceptional help from the government.
“We now know that the Council has been far too optimistic in the past about achieving savings and has overestimated income. We have a major concern that many of the savings in this year’s budget are based on reviews that haven’t started yet and are wishful thinking.”
