Conservative Group Leader on Sefton Council, Mike Prendergast, has raised serious concerns about the rapidly deteriorating state of Sefton Council’s finances.
In July 2025, the projected overspend was £15.4 million. This month that overspend has now surged to £29.3 million, an increase of over 90% in 7 months.
Councillor Prendergast, “The state of Sefton’s finances is utterly appalling. In the space of 7 months the projected overspend has almost doubled, with almost £2 million a month added between July last year and February this year.”
“Whenever opposition councillors ask what is being done, we get told there are “mitigations” being undertaken with very little detail. It’s totally unacceptable to treat taxpayer money with such disregard.”
“This has all happened under the current Labour administration and is a failure of leadership and financial control at the heart of the council. Local residents rightly expect, financial discipline and a clear plan to live within our means, the opposite of what we have now.”
Sefton Council is setting its budget later this month with another maximum increase in Council Tax expected from Labour. Since 2012, Sefton Council has increased Council Tax by over 50%.
Commenting further, Mike Prendergast said, “It’s almost certain Labour are going to be reaching into the wallets and purses of local residents to take more money off them to pay for their mistakes with another Council Tax rise, more than likely another 4.99% rise.”
“Households across the area have made difficult choices to live within their means, why can’t Labour do the same? Instead over a prolonged period of time they’ve made a series of poor choices.
“Spending £42.5 million on Bootle Strand, with a loan that costs £1.7 million a year, loaning £8 million to a building company that shows no signs of repaying and running a catering company that has lost £1.9 million. All, terrible choices that never had to be made.”
“To try and cover the huge losses mounting up, as well as Council Tax rises, Labour will be raiding the piggy bank, dipping into reserves, by over £7 million, to pay for day to day spending, but even that won’t be enough. With debt up 66% as well to £81 million it’s clear that Labour are out of their depth.”
“It’s always the same with Labour, tax, spend and borrow, all with other people’s money. Decisions being made by people with very little business experience themselves and when it goes wrong deciding the best way to solve it is to increase taxes, again, on local residents.”
“Sefton is quite literally running out of money, we can’t continue burning through cash at the current rate, it’s irresponsible and its clear that Labour don’t have a clue how to get things under control.”
Sefton Labour Group and Sefton Council were invited to comment ahead of publication.