The Enfield Council cabinet is scheduled to meet on Wednesday 10 December 2025 to discuss the medium term financial plan, and the schools capital programme. The cabinet will be asked to approve in principle a tranche of new savings and income targets of £15.4m for the 2026/27 budget. They will also be asked to approve the updated schools capital programme strategic delivery plan for 2025/26 - 2027/28.

Medium Term Financial Plan Update

The cabinet will be presented with a report updating the Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) for 2026/27 to 2030/31. The report, prepared by Neil Goddard, Head of Financial Strategy, sets out the draft budget for the next financial year (2026/27) and asks for cabinet approval in principle for specific savings as part of that budget. It also provides a forward look at the financial position for the next five years, covering the revenue General Fund. Budgets for capital, treasury, Housing Revenue Account, and Dedicated Schools Grant will be presented in February 2026.

The report recommends that the cabinet agrees in principle to proposed savings and income targets of £15.4m in 2026/27, delegating authority to relevant directors to make decisions to achieve these targets or substitute them with alternative proposals, subject to consultation with the relevant cabinet member. The proposed savings include:

• £10.5m from service redesign, efficiencies, and demand management
• £4.9m from income generation

The report notes that these proposals will be subject to consultation and an assessment of equality and other implications. It also acknowledges the uncertainty around funding for 2026/27 due to the Fair Funding reforms, with outcomes expected to be announced in the provisional Local Government Financial settlement in mid-December 2025.

The report also covers proposed fees and charges, which will be subject to approval by the full council as part of the budget process, and key risks and mitigations.

The report highlights the financial challenges faced by local government, referencing a letter from the Local Government Association (LGA) to the government, which stated that:

The sector's financial challenges are rooted in a sustained period of austerity combined with rapid increases in cost and demand pressures. While funding levels have increased in recent years, the cuts of the 2010s are far from fully reversed. Core Spending Power remains 16.4 per cent lower in real terms in 2025/26 compared to 2010/11.

The report notes that the government is proposing to change how funding is allocated to councils through the Fair Funding 2.0 review¹. Due to the uncertainty around the outcome of this review, the council has planned for a range of possible scenarios, presenting two scenarios in the report: a 'favourable' and a 'low' Fair Funding settlement.

If the settlement is better than the 'favourable' scenario modelled, it is suggested that any surplus is used as follows:

one third for service investment, one third for rebuilding reserves and one third for funding transformation currently funded by Flexible Use of Capital Receipts, which would allow those capital receipts to be used to reduce debt instead.

The report also notes that the council is required to undertake a budget consultation, commencing in December and closing in early January.

Updated Schools Capital Programme Strategic Delivery Plan

The cabinet will consider a report from the Executive Director of People regarding the updated schools capital programme strategic delivery plan for 2025/26 - 2027/28. The report is an update to KD5856, which was approved by the cabinet in June 2025, and primarily sets out the updated strategic delivery plan for Special Education Needs (SEN) Pupil Places based on the predicted outcomes of the forthcoming Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill².

The report recommends that the cabinet gives approval for the updated schools capital programme, revised spend for the 2025/26 capital budget, and commencement of additional projects. It also delegates authority to the Executive Director of People to approve the award of works and services contracts up to £5m and to add/omit projects from the programme, and to the Lead Member for Children's Services to approve contracts over £5m.

The report notes that the Department for Education (DfE) had paused its commitment to progress the SEN Wave Programmes intended to deliver two new special schools at Portcullis Lodge and Addison House - a position that remains unchanged.

The report states that the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill may have a significant impact on the council's future plans for SEN provision, as it proposes repealing the academy presumption route for establishing new schools, allowing councils to propose new schools (including SEN).

The report sets out a proposed strategic delivery plan for Special Educational Needs (SEN) pupil places, shaped by the key provisions of the forthcoming legislation and on the working assumption that the SEND Wave projects will not be taken forward.

The report also provides an update on the School Rebuilding Programme, noting that reconstruction of Chace Community School commenced in April 2025 and is progressing well. It also notes that funding has been secured through the SRP for Enfield Grammar School, St Ignatius College, Fleecefield Primary School, and St Anne's Catholic High School for Girls for redevelopment of their buildings.

The report also discusses Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contracts, noting that the contract for Highlands Secondary School concluded on 31 August 2025, and the remaining three school (grouped) PFI contract will expire in 2029.

The report notes that the council has already expanded all special schools for pupils in the borough to full capacity, and will continue to explore opportunities to establish dedicated SEN provision at existing education sites and identify suitable corporate locations that could be repurposed to support further SEN provision.

The report also discusses decarbonisation and energy projects, noting that Enfield Maintained Schools make up a significant proportion (approximately 30%) of the council's direct carbon emissions, and that supporting maintained schools to reduce these emissions is a focus of the council's Climate Action Plan.

The report also notes that the council has secured £4,106,551 through the Schools Capital Allocation (SCA), £6,915,854 through Basic Needs Grant and £6,181,905 via the High Needs Capital Allocation for 2025/26.

Finally, the report includes an Equalities Impact Assessment, stating that the council has had due regard to its Equalities Duties and in particular with respect to its duties arising pursuant to the Equality Act 2010³.