West Berkshire Council's Cost-Cutting Plans Unveiled

West Berkshire Council is targeting mainstream education and SEND reform as a major cost-saving area in a new transformation programme. The aim is to reduce the district's reliance on Exceptional Financial Support (EFS) from central government.

The Government has approved £20m in EFS for 2025/26 and £30m for 2026/27. At the same time local government reorganisation is under way: the new Ridgeway Council will join West Berkshire with Vale of White Horse and South Oxfordshire, meaning larger pools of cash could be available in future.

Despite that eventual merger, West Berkshire is pressing ahead with its own savings plans now. The programme proposes fewer high-cost specialist placements and more "inclusion-led approaches", developing internal provision to reduce expensive external placements over time.

It also aims to boost income and cost recovery from fees, assets and infrastructure, tighten processes with AI, and introduce self-service and digital triage to reduce demand on staff.

The transformation is structured around four core financial drivers, chiefly reducing demand in high-cost statutory services - particularly children's services and adult social care.

How costs will work in the new setup is complex. South Oxfordshire doesn't spend on adult social care, as that is covered by Oxfordshire County Council, which allocates an adult social care budget of around £330m a year.

West Berkshire says the programme must be able to respond to national changes while tackling current financial and demand pressures.

"Reducing reliance on Exceptional Financial Support will require a more structured transformation programme that can test and deliver recurring savings, cost avoidance, income growth, productivity gains and demand management opportunities," says the council.

"Traditional efficiency measures alone will not be sufficient to address the challenge.

"Instead, a broader approach is required, combining demand reduction, improved control over commissioned services, and reductions in transaction and operating costs."

The authority cites past results from its transformation work: "A total of £3.22m was invested, resulting in £5-6m of annual savings and cost avoidance, alongside wider improvements in service delivery and resident outcomes," it said.

Top-tier management rationalisation is flagged as another potential saving, but national children's social care reforms are mandatory and must be delivered alongside local changes.

All proposals need approval from the council's executive committee next week before they progress to full business cases.

Niki Hinman, Local Democracy Reporter