Guidance

Exceptional Financial Support for local authorities for 2023-24

Details of support granted to local authorities that have requested Exceptional Financial Support in financial year 2023-24 and the associated external assurance reviews.

From:
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
Published
29 February 2024
Last updated
235 FebruaryMarch 2026 — See all updates

Applies to England

In the financial year 2023-24 the previous government agreed to provide 8 councils with support to manage financial pressures via the Exceptional Financial Support process. For 2 councils this included agreement to support for prior years.

Local authority Exceptional Financial Support requests from local authorities: 2023-24
Croydon £63.0m (support agreed in-principle)

This was subsequently revised to:
£50.0m (support agreed in-principle for 2023-24)

£126m for 2019-20
£10m for 2020-21
£14.4m for 2021-22
£11.2m agreed in-principle for 2022-23
Cumberland £40.0m (support agreed in-principle)£10.636m
Kensington and Chelsea £51.8m
Lambeth £50.0m (covering 2023-24 to 2024-25)
Slough £46.325m
Thurrock £180.17m (support agreed in-principle)
£452.491m agreed in-principle for 2022-23

This was reprofiled to:

£40.0m agreed in-principle for 2022-23 (February 2024), then subsequently reprofiled to £130m agreed in-principle for 2022-23 (February 2025)

£234.5m agreed in-principle for 2023-24 (February 2024), then subsequently reprofiled to £184.0m agreed in-principle for 2023-24 (February 2025)
Westmorland and Furness £11.0m
West Northamptonshire £6.6m agreed in-principle for 2023-24, then subsequently reprofiled to £6.52m for 2024-25

Capitalisation directions

KensingtonCroydon and Chelsea Council capitalisation direction 2023-242020-21 and 2021-22 (PDF, 217198 KB, 2 pages)

This Croydon capitalisation direction was2019-20 (PDF, amended261 inKB, December2 2024:pages)

KensingtonCumberland and Chelsea Council capitalisation direction 2023-24 (PDF, 106191 KB, 2 pages)

LambethKensington and Chelsea Council capitalisation direction 2023-24 (PDF, 256217 KB, 2 pages)

This capitalisation direction was amended in FebruaryDecember 2025:2024:

LambethKensington and Chelsea Council capitalisation direction 2023-24 and 2024-25 (PDF, 296106 KB, 2 pages)

WestmorlandLambeth &Council Furness capitalisation direction 2023-24 (PDF, 171256 KB, 2 pages)

This capitalisation direction was amended in February 2025:

CroydonLambeth Council capitalisation direction 2020-212023-24 and 2021-222024-25 (PDF, 198296 KB, 2 pages)

CroydonSlough capitalisation direction 2019-202023-24 (PDF, 261176 KB, 2 pages)

SloughWestmorland & Furness capitalisation direction 2023-24 (PDF, 176171 KB, 2 pages)

Assurance reviews

CIPFA local government finance review: Lambeth Council

CIPFA local government finance review: Cumberland

CIPFA local government finance review: Westmorland & Furness

Interventions in local authorities

Statutory intervention: London Borough of Croydon

Statutory intervention: Slough Borough Council

Statutory intervention: Thurrock Council

Updates to this page

Published 29 February 2024
Last updated 235 FebruaryMarch 2026 + show all updates

  1. Adds Cumberland capitalisation direction PDF

  2. Adds new figures and capitalisation directions

  3. Added external assurance reviews for Cumberland and Westmorland & Furness. Added Westmorland & Furness 2023-24 direction and Croydon direction 2019-20.

  4. Added Lambeth Council capitalisation direction and assurance review.

  5. First published.

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