The Council has published its 2026 Sustainability Report today. The Report provides an overview of the current NI budget position, including implications of the absence of an agreed 2026-27 Budget, the Department of Finance's contingency arrangements, our assessment of HM Treasury's Open Book Review, and the impact of population changes on NI's current spending premium over England.
Sir Robert Chote, Chair of the Council, said:
“There is nothing especially mysterious about the challenge here. Spending pressures are rising, funding is not keeping pace, and the gap between the two will need to be closed one way or another. Operating without a Budget may be manageable for a short time, but emergency arrangements are not a substitute for an Executive taking strategic decisions. The longer-term pressures will not resolve themselves, and the sooner they are addressed in a systematic way, the better the prospects for putting NI’s public finances on a more sustainable footing.”