The online simulator gives residents the opportunity to set the council’s spending across a wide range of services, including adult social care, libraries, leisure facilities, and waste management
Waltham Forest residents are being invited to take part in a council budget simulator, designed to give the public an insight into the financial challenges facing Waltham Forest Town Hall.
Residents are given a chance to balance Waltham Forest’s annual budget by making decisions about where money should be spent, where savings could be made and how much council tax should increase by.
The simulator gives residents the opportunity to set the council’s spending across a wide range of services, including adult social care, libraries, leisure facilities, and waste management.
As well as balancing the budget, participants are asked to give feedback on what different council services they value most.
The council says the responses will “help it understand residents’ views and priorities” as it prepares to finalise the 2027/28 budget.
Earlier this year, the Local Democracy Reporting Service reported that the now Green-led council will likely need to seek further financial support: another £19m in 2027/28, and £24m in 2028/29.
The former Labour administration was given a £19m bailout in February, referred to as ‘exceptional financial support’.
That would bring the total amount borrowed from Westminster to £62m.
Ursula Gamble, the council’s finance director, said at the time: “Local government finances have been under sustained pressure for more than sixteen years due to constraints in national funding and increasing demand for services.
“Councils are increasingly required to deliver more services with proportionately fewer resources.”
She described the current financial position as “very challenging” and said “actions are being taken now” to outline cuts over the next three years.
Residents can take part in the budget simulator here
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