Politics
Liverpool Voters Decide Funding Boost for Community Social Care Services
The ballot measure would direct additional council resources to social care and community support services used by Liverpool residents across multiple wards.
How we reported this
The Liverpool City Council has scheduled a referendum on a community services funding measure for September 2026 that would alter how local rates support social programs, affecting residents who access adult care, youth services and neighbourhood centres in wards such as Riverside and Knotty Ash.
Why the referendum is scheduled now
National changes to local government finance settlements have reduced some central grants to English councils since 2024, prompting Liverpool City Council to seek voter approval for an internal reallocation of existing revenue streams. The measure appears on the ballot after the council published its 2025-26 budget papers showing community services spending at £92 million, down from £98 million two years earlier.
Local residents would see changes in service availability if the measure passes, with projected additions to home-care visits for older people and expanded opening hours at family centres in the city centre and outer estates. A family in Anfield, for example, could gain access to additional after-school programmes funded through the redirected portion of council tax revenue.
Budget figures and service reach
Council documents state that the measure would move £4.7 million within the existing rates base rather than introduce a new levy, with the funds earmarked for contracts with voluntary organisations that delivered 1.2 million hours of community support last year. Policy analysts note this amount equals roughly 5 percent of the current community services allocation and would be distributed according to indices of multiple deprivation used by the council since 2023.
Voters will receive an information booklet from the council's elections office by early August that outlines the exact service categories covered and the projected annual outputs for each. The referendum result will be binding on the 2027-28 budget cycle, with implementation scheduled to begin in April 2027 if approved.