Bromley’s £43m Budget Crisis Deepens as Council Leader Appeals to Government Over Tax Rises

Orpington residents could be facing higher Council Tax, cuts to local services or both as Bromley Council’s financial position continues to worsen.

The Conservative-led council is currently forecasting a budget gap of around £43 million in 2027/28, rising to £61 million in 2028/29, even after substantial savings and transformation measures have already been included in its plans.

Now Council Leader Colin Smith has taken the unusual step of writing directly to senior Government ministers, asking either for Bromley’s funding settlement to be reconsidered or for the council to be given greater freedom to raise Council Tax.

For residents in Orpington, the obvious question is becoming harder to avoid:

How did Bromley get to the point where residents are now being warned about significant service reductions and potentially larger tax rises only months after the local elections?

Council Leader Appeals Directly to Government

In his 21 September letter, Cllr Smith argues that Bromley is being disadvantaged because it has historically maintained comparatively low Council Tax and lower spending than many other London boroughs.

For 2026/27, Bromley’s Band D council element stands at £1,629.53, with the full bill rising to £2,140.04 once the Greater London Authority element is included.

Cllr Smith’s argument is that Bromley’s past efforts to keep Council Tax and spending relatively low are now working against the borough under the current funding formula.

If the Government will not reconsider that formula, he is asking for Bromley to be allowed greater flexibility over Council Tax.

That matters directly to every household in Orpington.

The Conservative administration is now openly considering a position where residents could face higher taxation alongside substantial savings and changes to local services.

£43m Gap – Rising to £61m

The scale of Bromley’s financial problem is significant.

The council forecasts a gap of around £43 million in 2027/28, increasing to approximately £61 million in 2028/29. Its auditors have also highlighted those figures and noted that the financial strategy already assumes continued savings and maximum Council Tax increases.

Bromley says years of transformation and efficiency programmes have already produced substantial savings.

For 2026/27 alone, the council says more than £18 million of savings across 84 projects are expected through its transformation programme.

Yet those measures are still not expected to close the future funding gap.

That leaves some difficult choices ahead.

Bromley Blames Government Funding

Bromley Council places much of the responsibility for its current position on central Government funding.

The council says its funding will fall by £22.2 million per year by 2028/29, equivalent to a 22 per cent reduction in core funding, or around 28 per cent in real terms once inflation is taken into account.

It also argues that Bromley has historically received significantly less Government support than many other London boroughs.

According to the council’s own figures, Bromley would receive around £112 million more per year if its funding per head matched the London average.

That is a serious argument and deserves proper consideration.

But there is also an important distinction.

Central Government determines the funding settlement.

Bromley Council determines how the borough responds to it.

That includes which services are reduced, where savings are made, how reserves are used and how much residents ultimately pay in Council Tax.

Those choices remain the responsibility of those running the council.

Why Are Residents Hearing So Much About This After the Election?

This is where the timing becomes difficult to ignore.

Bromley’s local elections took place in May 2026.

Yet the council had already publicly warned in January that its Government grant was being reduced by £22.2 million annually and that the borough faced serious financial pressure.

Only months after the election, the language has become considerably more stark.

Residents are now hearing about a projected £43 million deficit, the possibility of service reductions and the prospect of Bromley seeking permission to increase Council Tax beyond the normal limit.

Reform UK Orpington believes residents are entitled to ask:

How much of this position was understood before May’s election, and how clearly was it explained to voters at the time?

If households are now potentially being asked to pay more while receiving less, that is a reasonable question.

Reform Raised Concerns Before May

During the local election campaign, Reform UK candidates raised concerns about Bromley Council’s finances and the difficult choices that could follow.

At that stage, Reform did not have access to all of the detailed figures now being discussed publicly.

However, concerns were already being raised about whether residents were being given a sufficiently clear picture of the borough’s financial position.

The latest developments make scrutiny of those decisions even more important.

Could Council Tax Rise Further?

For 2026/27, Bromley increased its own Council Tax element by 4.99 per cent, including the Adult Social Care precept.

Cllr Smith’s latest intervention makes clear that the council wants greater freedom to raise Council Tax further if the funding settlement is not changed.

That leaves residents facing an uncomfortable equation.

If additional Government funding does not arrive, Bromley will have to find substantially more savings, use further reserves, raise additional revenue or combine all three.

For Orpington residents, that could ultimately affect both household bills and the local services they rely upon.

What Could This Mean for Orpington?

The borough-wide figures may sound remote, but the consequences will be local.

Decisions made at Bromley Civic Centre affect everything from adult and children’s social care to housing, environmental services, libraries, road maintenance, community provision and other frontline services.

Any large programme of savings will therefore raise questions about exactly which services are protected and where reductions fall.

Equally, if Council Tax rises further, Orpington households will want to know precisely what additional money is being raised for and whether residents are receiving value in return.

Residents Deserve Answers Before the Bills Arrive

Bromley may have a legitimate case that its Government funding settlement is unfair.

The Conservative administration is entitled to make that argument.

But residents also deserve transparency from the council itself.

They need to know:

What savings are being considered? Which services could be affected? How much further could Council Tax rise? And when did the council first understand the full scale of the problem?

The latest letter from the Council Leader shows that this issue is no longer theoretical.

Bromley Council is now asking Government either to improve its funding position or give the borough greater freedom over Council Tax.

For residents in Orpington, the outcome could have a direct impact on both household finances and local services.

Reform UK Orpington will continue to scrutinise the proposals and report on what they mean for local residents.