Gloucester City Council has secured £15.5 million in emergency government funding to protect local services and avoid a financial crisis in the city. The support, confirmed on February 24, 2026, ensures that everyday services like rubbish collection, housing help, and city-centre maintenance can continue without the risk of the authority being taken over by outside officials.
Local leaders sought the help after a 2021 cyber attack damaged the council’s computer systems, which made it difficult to manage accounts and track spending for several years. This problem, combined with high interest rates on major regeneration projects and rising costs, meant the council’s savings were projected to drop to a dangerously low level of £2.8 million by March 2026.
Alex McIntyre, the Member of Parliament for Gloucester, confirmed the funding will help the city avoid issuing a Section 114 notice, the local government equivalent of declaring bankruptcy. This prevents a situation where many local services would have been cut or restricted, and allows the city to keep control over its own budget and services while it works through a recovery plan.
To keep the support until 2027, the council must now balance its budget for the coming year and find approximately £1 million in savings. This plan is designed to help the authority pay its own way again in the future while making sure residents do not see a disruption to housing support and community grants that form a vital part of the area’s wider social care safety net.
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