Issue

revenue budget

4 stories · 4 councils

Councils are currently discussing revenue budget performance, with Richmond and Merton reporting underspends for 2026.

Richmond Council projected a £337,000 underspend in the first quarter of the 2026/27 financial year, attributed to higher sports income and lower staffing costs, a report to the Environment, Sustainability, Culture and Sports Committee said in September 2026. Merton Council also reported a £0.5 million net underspend on its revenue budget for the 2025/26 financial year in July 2026.

Despite Merton's underspend, its outturn report highlighted significant financial pressures from temporary accommodation costs and a deficit in the Dedicated Schools Grant High Needs budget. Government funding and a statutory override, extended until March 2028, are addressing the DSG deficit, according to the report in July 2026.

A revenue budget outlines a local authority's expected income and expenditure for day-to-day running costs. Croydon Council provisionally balanced its 2024-25 budget in July 2025 by using £67.9 million in one-off reserves, despite a provisional overspend of £29.2 million on its general fund revenue budget.

Key facts

  1. Richmond Council projected a £337,000 underspend in Q1 of the 2026/27 financial year. Source
  2. Richmond's projected underspend represents 0.9% of its £37.058 million total revenue budget. Source
  3. Merton Council reported a net underspend of £0.5 million on its revenue budget for the 2025/26 financial year. Source
  4. The Dedicated Schools Grant statutory override for deficits is extended until March 2028. Source
  5. Croydon Council provisionally balanced its 2024-25 budget using £67.9 million in one-off reserves. Source
About this summary

This summary was written automatically from our published stories and the council meeting records they draw on, with background from Wikipedia. It describes what councils have discussed and decided; it does not take a view on any decision. Each key fact links to the story it comes from. Updated 30 September 2026. Spotted a mistake? Email community@opencouncil.network.

Latest stories

  1. Richmond Council Projects £337k Underspend in Q1 Driven by Sports Income and Staffing Savings Richmond Council is projecting a £337,000 underspend in the first quarter of the financial year, representing approximately 0.9% of the total revenue budget of £37.058 million.... Richmond upon Thames 16 September 2026
  2. Newham Council Faces Hundreds of Millions in Capital Project Delays Due to Ambitious Financial Projections Newham Council is facing hundreds of millions of pounds in delays to its capital projects, according to a report presented to the Audit and Governance Committee. The scale of... Newham 31 July 2026
  3. Merton Council Reports £0.5m Revenue Underspend Amidst Service Pressures Merton Council has reported a net underspend of £0.5 million on its revenue budget for the 2025/26 financial year, according to the latest outturn report. However, the report... Merton 17 July 2026
  4. Croydon Council Balances Budget with One-Off Reserves Despite Overspend and Debt Concerns Croydon Council has provisionally balanced its 2024-25 budget by using £67.9 million in one-off reserves and capitalisation directions, according to the 2024-25 Provisional... Croydon 26 July 2025