Mark Jenkinson MP has welcomed a £13m funding boost to Cumberland Council’s budget, revealed in a report to be put to the Council’s Executive today (13th February).
A large part of this increase has been provided as part of the £64.7 billion Local Government Finance Settlement to enable councils to provide vital services for residents and to help local authorities manage their finances in the longer term.
The report indicates that the Council’s four-year capital programme is the highest ever set on the Cumberland footprint at £0.55bn, with over 80% being funded directly by government through initiatives such as the High Streets Funds and Town Deals. There has also been a 10% increase in schools funding.
The report also shows that an unexpected £3m increase in government funding for Adult Social Care, announced earlier this week, was not factored into council tax calculations.
However, councillors on the Executive are still expected to vote to increase council tax by the maximum allowed without a referendum. The planned 4.99% increase includes 2% for social care, which also amounts to £3m.
This builds on the significant funding boost the council received last year, showing the Conservative Government’s plan to ensure local authorities have the resources they need – and that this plan is working.
I am proud of the part I have played in securing additional funding for my constituents, particularly the game-changing sums I’ve secured to transform our towns and deliver opportunity for this and future generations.
I have secured later additional funding for social care that amounts to the same as the 2% council tax hike.
It is disappointing to see that, despite this investment, the Council has chosen to pocket the cash instead of passing on these savings to council-taxpayers.
It is doubly disappointing to see the Council fail to bring forward a plan to realise the savings that Local Government Reform should bring taxpayers – 12 months on some staff still don’t know who their line manager is. Meanwhile, buildings sit empty – costing instead of making money.
This Labour council has chosen to privatise statutory functions and sell off council assets, that will ultimately raise costs for taxpayers, not lower them. Then we find out that, instead of choosing to deliver savings, Labour simply resorts to its high tax, high borrowing default position – planning to borrow an additional £66m to cover for its financial failure, costing taxpayers an expected £6m/year for an entire generation.
Councils cannot plead penury: but they do need to work to ensure that they are working in the most efficient way possible, reducing waste and delivering value for money on the back of this Government investment.
This means, for example, looking at how to manage the considerable resources at their disposal effectively. This is a much better and more sustainable solution than simply hiking up council tax to plug holes in the budget.
Mark Jenkinson MP
Local authorities in England, including Cumberland will receive a share of Government funding next year – up £4.5 billion on this last year.
The settlement for next year includes £1.5 billion of additional funding for adult social care and additional support for rural authorities.
This additional funding also includes a £15 million increase to the Rural Services Grant worth £110 million of spending to spend on hard-to-reach rural communities.
Residents will also remain protected from excessive council tax increases, ensuring councils cannot impose sudden and unexpected rises in council tax on local people without a referendum.
This comes on top of the £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund and £2.6 billion UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which are improving local and civic infrastructure and supporting local communities.
