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Based on a new survey of local authorities, English councils are planning to offload community centers, athletic facilities, and shopping arcades as they bet on a fire sale of assets to balance the books.

Growing Fiscal Pressures Prompt Asset Sales

The Key Cities Group for major urban areas in England reported that 60% of councils are planning to sell assets to cover the escalating costs of social services for vulnerable individuals.

Local governments have in the past faced criticism for selling playing fields and open spaces to support their budgets, but they contend they must proceed to raise vital cash from asset sales or face insolvency.

This coalition noted that a significant number of councils seeking to raise money from a fire sale of assets marked “a clear change from 2024, when the majority (six in ten) of local leaders stated they would focus on service redesigns and utilising financial reserves to weather increasing financial challenges.”

Detailed Examples of Planned Sales

Medway Council in southeast England announced its property management strategy included the disposal of a retail complex in a local town and a social club in Rochester to raise 20 million pounds over the next half-decade.

• Gillingham golf club and business parks held in two English counties, which all provide rental income for Medway council, will also be sold under the strategy.

Local Levy Increases and Broader Financial Pressures

The survey of councils in the key cities group, which covers several urban centers, further found that over seven in ten of authorities will have to increase local levies next April to cover the rising cost of essential services, increased rates of housing insecurity, and a persistent housing shortage.

Medway council explained it will press ahead with property disposals after sharp increases in the cost of youth support, support for vulnerable learners, adult social care, and short-term housing.

“We are taking creative strategies but certain measures require time to achieve both improved services and cost efficiency,” stated Vince Maple.

He continued: “We face demographic pressures which will persist to add to the strains we have. As a local government body, we had a drastic reduction in our central funding from 2010-24, which is very challenging.”

National Patterns and Forecasts

Research of regional authorities this week also found local finances being strained by the growing number of young people and older individuals requiring Send support.

The County Councils Network projected that local shortfalls will reach £4.4bn a year by 2029, as they grapple to manage increased demand.

Ministers have put off planned reforms to the special educational needs framework until next year after a policy document setting out those changes has been postponed.

Disadvantage and Financial Shortfalls

Based on the most recent indices of deprivation (the Index of Multiple Deprivation) covering English councils, several participating urban areas were included in the most deprived in England.

• “Participating urban centers like Hull, Bradford, Stoke-on-Trent, Sunderland and Wolverhampton place in the top 30 nationally under the 2025 deprivation indices,” noted the report.

“While only a single urban area is among the top 10 for disadvantaged communities nationally, cities are far more likely to be in the most deprived fifth of the nation. The figures highlights the scale of difficulties facing local leaders across major urban centers in the coming year,” the report added.

“Council officials have been clear about the necessity for a equitable and lasting financial structure that accounts for and addresses the actual extent of deprivation and need,” stated a council leader.

“Without this, councils will persist to face difficult decisions around which essential services to fund, and which to cut, to the disadvantage of their communities.”

A fifth of local authorities have reduced or weakened social care provision in the last year, the study revealed.