The biggest chunk of the council’s spending was from the ‘people’ directorate, which covers social care for adults and children, special needs and other support for schools, reports Josh Mellor, Local Democracy Reporter

Waltham Forest Council spent £232million on its day-to-day services last year, balancing its books by taking £18m from its reserves.

The council’s reserves, funds which the council sets aside for unforeseen costs or specific future needs, fell 15% to £103m by March.

The figures have come from the council’s financial outturn report published last week, which outlined its spending between March 2022 and 2023.

£158m of the council’s day-to-day spending, known as revenue, was from the “people” directorate, which covers social care for adults and children, special needs and other support for schools.

Although the people directorate spent £10m more than planned, the service says it has faced high demand from people needing social care support, such as elderly patients being discharged from hospital.

The council’s “place” directorate, which oversees neighbourhood services such as waste collection, spent £57m.

Place also oversees housing people at risk of homelessness, often known as temporary accommodation, which cost the council £11m and is described as “the most challenging area in terms of cost”.

Alongside the council’s day-to-day spending, most of which is funded by government grants and council tax, was £115m in capital spending – on land, buildings and equipment.

The council borrowed about £44m for its capital budget, with the rest funded from sales of houses and land, reserves and grants.

Projects in the capital budget include an upgrade to the borough’s mortuary at Walthamstow Coroner’s Court, Fellowship Square outside the town hall, Soho Theatre and Juniper House, which are also in Walthamstow.

However, the council did not publish an exact breakdown of how much it spent on each project.

Other capital projects included schools, council-estate refurbishment and regeneration projects, and highway infrastructure such as cycle lanes.

No news is bad news 

Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts. 

The audiences they serve know less, understand less, and can do less. 

If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation. 

Choose the news. Don’t lose the news.

Monthly direct debit 

Annual direct debit

£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month.  £50 annual supporters get a digital copy of each month's paper before anyone else.

More information on supporting us monthly or annually 

More Information about donations