Bromley Council is set to sign off a 4.99 per cent rise in its share of council tax for 2026/27 at a meeting tonight (February 26), made up of a two per cent adult social care precept and a 2.99 per cent general council tax increase.
When the Mayor of London’s precept is included, a typical Band D bill could go up from £2,042.46 to £2,140.04 – an extra £97.58 a year.
The Greater London Authority portion is assumed to rise by 4.1 per cent to £510.51 for Band D, funding services such as transport and policing.
Papers going to full council show Bromley’s own Band D charge will rise to £1,629.53 in 2026/27, with the council tax requirement set at £225.044m across 138,104 Band D equivalent properties.
The report also confirms a £154.4m Dedicated Schools Budget, fully funded by Government grant after academy recoupment, and £1.337m set aside for levies including flood defences, pensions and the Lee Valley Regional Park.
Rising demand and inflation in areas such as social care have pushed projected budget gaps to around £43m in 2027/28 and £61m in 2028/29, even after years of savings.
The council has warned that recent changes to the way Whitehall funds local authorities will reduce Bromley’s core government funding by £22.2m a year by 2028/29 – a 22 per cent cut, or 28 per cent in real terms once inflation is considered.
Under the plans, Bromley will also lean further on its reserves, with a separate budget report stating £26.4m is due to be drawn down in 2026/27 to help plug the gap.
Town hall bosses argue that if the borough received the average government funding per head for London, it would be £112m better off next year, or £74.7m better off even on the outer London average.
Councillors will be asked to sign off the council tax rise tonight (February 26).
Recorded votes must be taken on the budget and council tax setting, and any last‑minute tweaks from the final funding settlement will be reported directly to the meeting by the director of finance.
