Central government has agreed to provide some councils with additional funding – called Exceptional Financial Support (EFS) – before the start of the new financial year, to help with budgeting setting for that year.
EFS is temporary financial assistance that is used to help a council meet its obligations and continue to deliver essential services. It is not a grant though, but effectively a loan which a council will need to arrange to pay back over several years. A council that receives EFS usually also has to develop improvement plans to prevent the need for further support in the future.
You can read more about it and which local councils have received EFS via https://www.gov.uk/guidance/exceptional-financial-support-for-local-authorities-for-2026-27