BCP Council projects £27m budget shortfall as care demand rises

BCP Council has published a finance report forecasting a £27 million budget gap for the 2026/27 financial year, driven primarily by rising demand for children's and adults' social care services alongside reductions in government funding.

The council says demand for support services has grown significantly and is placing serious pressure on its finances, even as it attempts to reduce costs and work more efficiently. A programme of strict spending controls is in place: recruitment is being tightly managed, and the council's Continuous Improvement and Innovation Programme is being used to identify further savings across the short, medium and long term.

For residents, the gap raises real questions about how local services will look in the coming year. Social care budgets — which cover support for elderly residents, disabled adults and children in need — account for the largest share of council spending, and pressures in that area have been building across local authorities nationally for several years.

The council is urging central government to act, arguing that the current funding model does not reflect the scale of local need. The report also references additional pressure linked to the Dedicated Schools Grant.

Poole residents can read the full finance report via the BCP Council news hub: Council urges Government to act as rising care needs put acute pressure on finances