Cabinet calls on the Government to address budget pressures
Today (15 November), the Joint Administration has written an open letter to the Government asking them to acknowledge and address the budget pressures facing the council.
Councillor Paul Zukowskyj, Leader of the Council and Executive Member, Climate Change, said: “We have contacted the Government to highlight the significant budget challenges we are facing. It is not sustainable nor fair to expect our residents to bridge the gaps in our budget caused by Government underfunding and also face the risk of reduced services. Feedback from our recent Community Survey showed that residents want us to lobby the Government to help balance our budget and this is our first step in doing this”. He added “We call on the Government to listen to our concerns and take up the offer to discuss them with us further”.
The letter which is available online outlines that the council has seen a reduction in government funding by 64% in real terms since 2010 at a time when demand for some services has increased. The letter goes on to suggest measures the Government could implement to relieve some budget pressures, including reviewing caps on fees, three-year certainty on grant funding, allowing councils to retain a greater share of business rates as well as reviewing the overly bureaucratic processes associated with funding applications.