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: 5 March 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	£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

Croydon capitalisation direction 2020-21 and 2021-22 (PDF, 198 KB, 2 pages)

Croydon capitalisation direction 2019-20 (PDF, 261 KB, 2 pages)

Cumberland capitalisation direction 2023-24 (PDF, 191 KB, 2 pages)

Kensington and Chelsea Council capitalisation direction 2023-24 (PDF, 217 KB, 2 pages)

This capitalisation direction was amended in December 2024:

Kensington and Chelsea Council capitalisation direction 2023-24 (PDF, 106 KB, 2 pages)

Lambeth Council capitalisation direction 2023-24 (PDF, 256 KB, 2 pages)

This capitalisation direction was amended in February 2025:

Lambeth Council capitalisation direction 2023-24 and 2024-25 (PDF, 296 KB, 2 pages)

Slough capitalisation direction 2023-24 (PDF, 176 KB, 2 pages)

Westmorland & Furness capitalisation direction 2023-24 (PDF, 171 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

Published 29 February 2024

Last updated 5 March 2026 + show all updates

1. 5 March 2026

   Adds Cumberland capitalisation direction PDF

2. 23 February 2026

   Adds new figures and capitalisation directions

3. 13 March 2025

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

4. 16 May 2024

   Added Lambeth Council capitalisation direction and assurance review.

5. 29 February 2024

   First published.