Bracknell Council Faces £18m Funding Crisis

Bracknell Forest Council is under pressure to explain how an £18m gap in central government funding will hit local services between 2026 and 2029, amid rising costs and demand.

Conservative group leaders Cllr Gareth Barnard and Cllr Julian Sharpe wrote to Bracknell MP Peter Swallow and Maidenhead MP Joshua Reynolds on October 20 calling for the changes to be opposed.

Their letter said Bracknell Forest received £50m in government grant last year and claimed this would reduce by £18m, or 36 per cent, within two years, and asked the Labour MPs to oppose the scale and speed of the cuts and consider a legal challenge to the funding formula.

Reform UK Bracknell also wants clearer figures. It backed challenging the government but said the debate should include the council's own financial management and called for a "clear, reconciled explanation" of the changes and their impact.

Reform referred to Local Government Association reviews in 2021 and March 2026 and said some pressures predated the 2023 change of administration.

Reform said: "The financial pressures facing Bracknell Forest are serious and residents deserve considerably more than another exchange of political accusations."

The council has warned the funding changes are being implemented too quickly. Council leader Cllr Helen Purnell said she recognised the government's aim to create a fairer system but warned: "As a local authority that is considered more affluent than others, we face losing a considerable sum of money very quickly. This will make it harder for us to continue to provide good quality and much-needed services for our residents."

Bracknell Forest and Wokingham borough councils say they will write to the minister responsible for local government funding asking for reductions in core grants between 2026/27 and 2028/29 to be capped at 10 per cent, and are seeking talks about protecting essential services as costs rise.

Bracknell Forest Council has been contacted for further comment.

Katie French, Local Democracy Reporter