Slough Council's budget passes after the Government criticises Tories' slow progress in recovering from the Labour-led Council going bankrupt in 2021: Now Lib Dems say more progress is needed

A week after the Tory budget was rejected by Slough Council on 26 Feb, a revised budget passed on 5 March after concessions to Opposition parties. 

But, at the same time the Government backed the report from the Commissioners who had been sent in to oversee things after Slough's Labour-led Council went “bankrupt” in 2021. The Commissioners criticised the slow progress made by the current Tory Administration running Slough Council in recovering from that crisis.

The Lib Dems back the Commissioners' call for more progress to be made in improving Slough Council. The Commissioners' report did recognise that some important progress had been made since 2021, and that the challenges were complex because of the legacy of that time, and the rising costs for essential services such as social care, homelessness provision, and special education needs (SEND). Nevertheless, the Commissioners said: “Progress towards a strong leadership drive for improvement has been slower than required.”

At the Council meting on 5 March, the Leader of the Lib Dem Group, Councillor Sabia Akram, said: “I hope the Leader and the Cabinet have finally understood what it means to lead a council in no overall control, what it means to work together for the common good”. 

Slough Liberal Councillors responded to a series of proposed Tory changes to the 2026/27 council budget, after it was defeated for the first time in Slough’s history on 26 Feb. Among the concessions given to win opposition groups over, the Tories offered a concession, for the Lib Dems, to increase the available budget for Scrutiny by £50K, which would be met within the existing Democratic and Legal Services Budget. Commenting on these proposals Councillor Mohammed Nazir said, “The administration gravely failed to account for the additional officer requirement. If this council is serious about supporting members and facilitating and enabling effective and transparent governance, it must also make adequate provision”. 

In relation to the continuing level of high debt and the defeat of the Tory budget at the meeting on 26 Feb, Councillor Akram also criticised the members of the cabinet for their collective failure to grasp the dire financial situation of Slough and to respond appropriately, “I didn’t expect the Leader to make changes immediately by sacking his cabinet members. I still expected him however, to review the value of having 10 cabinet members".

Councillor Waqas Sabah continued his criticism of the Council’s overspending on HB Law services, “Back in 2023, both the Leader and Cabinet assured me that our overspend on legal services was to be reviewed, with an options paper to be published. We’re now in 2026 and nothing has been published. This revised budget fails to account for an in-house service provision as a spend to save measure”.

Councillor Frank O’Kelly said the Tories made no mention of Parking and Enforcement. “We understand the Leader in discussion with Councillor Akram confirmed this was already built into the budget”, said Councillor O’Kelly, “however, the finance team have been unable to verify the Planning enforcement officers in the budget proposal." He referenced the council’s failed enforcement on unlicensed HMOs and planning breaches. Proper enforcement could have increased revenue to the general fund to be re-invested in vital infrastructure in this budget year.

Other concessions to Opposition parties included an increase to the Council Tax Hardship Fund by £100K and an increase in the proposed Drug and Alcohol Treatment Budget by £36K. Commenting on the concessions, Councillor Akram remarked, “The proposed increase to the council tax hardship fund is technically not an increase because there was a surplus left over from last year, which was left in the general fund. Lib Dems have previously requested the surplus go into a new ‘general hardship fund’ targeted at those who need help and support with basic necessities to help them in their day-to-day lives. The supposed extra funding is not new but just re-directed from existing pots and reserves."

In her closing speech, Councillor Akram welcomed the latest Commissioners’ report, and said: “This budget process has been a complete disaster for the Tory administration, which could have been avoided if the opposition had adequate time and support in place to prepare for the budget, as was promised originally by the Leader Councillor Dexter Smith. It is incumbent on the administration that they work across the chamber going forward”.