“This council notes:
That local government has endured repeated cuts over the last 15 years, amounting to more than a 27% real terms cut in core spending power since 2010. Further research by UNISON suggests that councils across England, Wales and Scotland will face a collective funding shortfall of £3.5bn by the financial year 2024/25 and a cumulative funding gap of £7bn by 2025/26. Between 2018-2023, 7 councils issued section 114 notices, including Nottingham City Council, with many others coming close to doing so.
At the same time, pressure on council finances has increased, particularly on the cost of children’s and adult social care since the pandemic. These costs now consume approximately 75% of Nottinghamshire County Council’s total budget, and this percentage is expected to continue to increase without major change.
It is a similar picture under Nottingham City Council, which continues to be unable to produce a balanced budget and resolve its debts. While Broxtowe Borough Council is itself in a relatively stable financial position, its residents are still impacted by the pressures on Nottinghamshire County Council and the reductions on services like libraries, youth centres, and infrastructure maintenance.
The catastrophic state of local government funding in the UK cannot be resolved by making further redundancies, efficiencies, or raising council tax. The government’s focus on local government reform is a red herring that cannot provide the savings needed to continue to deliver the vital services provided by local government, and, if pushed through, will only put many of these services at greater risk while also further increasing the distance between communities and their governance.
Instead of supporting the government’s attempts to push through a damaging reform of local government, this council resolves to:
· Write to the Chancellor and Secretary of State to call for an immediate suspension of local government reorganisation until the funding situation is resolved and for an urgent review of current budget allocations and a fairer funding solution for local authorities.
· Call on the Local Government Association to make urgent representations to central government to support the above letter.
· Write to Nottinghamshire County Council calling on them to also support a fairer funding review to protect local council services in Broxtowe and wider Notts area.
· Commit to campaigning to raise awareness of the threats to local services due to underfunding and LGR
Minutes:
The motion was proposed by Councillor G Marshall and seconded by Councillor G Bunn.
“This council notes:
That local government has endured repeated cuts over the last 15 years, amounting to more than a 27% real terms cut in core spending power since 2010. Further research by UNISON suggests that councils across England, Wales and Scotland will face a collective funding shortfall of £3.5bn by the financial year 2024/25 and a cumulative funding gap of £7bn by 2025/26. Between 2018-2023, 7 councils issued section 114 notices, including Nottingham City Council, with many others coming close to doing so.
At the same time, pressure on council finances has increased, particularly on the cost of children’s and adult social care since the pandemic. These costs now consume approximately 75% of Nottinghamshire County Council’s total budget, and this percentage is expected to continue to increase without major change.
It is a similar picture under Nottingham City Council, which continues to be unable to produce a balanced budget and resolve its debts. While Broxtowe Borough Council is itself in a relatively stable financial position, its residents are still impacted by the pressures on Nottinghamshire County Council and the reductions on services like libraries, youth centres, and infrastructure maintenance.
The catastrophic state of local government funding in the UK cannot be resolved by making further redundancies, efficiencies, or raising council tax. The government’s focus on local government reform is a red herring that cannot provide the savings needed to continue to deliver the vital services provided by local government, and, if pushed through, will only put many of these services at greater risk while also further increasing the distance between communities and their governance.
Instead of supporting the government’s attempts to push through a damaging reform of local government, this council resolves to:
· Write to the Chancellor and Secretary of State to call for an immediate suspension of local government reorganisation until the funding situation is resolved and for an urgent review of current budget allocations and a fairer funding solution for local authorities.
· Call on the Local Government Association to make urgent representations to central government to support the above letter.
· Write to Nottinghamshire County Council calling on them to also support a fairer funding review to protect local council services in Broxtowe and wider Notts area.
· Commit to campaigning to raise awareness of the threats to local services due to underfunding and LGR
An amendment was proposed by Councillor P J Owen and seconded by Councillor A G W A Stockwell that a further bullet point be added as follows:
A recorded vote was agreed and the voting on the amendment was as follows:
For Against Abstention
L A Ball BEM P Bales
M Brown R E Bofinger
H G Khaled MBE R Bullock
J M Owen G Bunn
P J Owen C Carr
A W G A Stockwell A Cooper
S Dannheimer
H J Faccio
S P Jeremiah
A Kingdon
D L Macrae
R D MacRae
T J Marsh
G Marshall
J W McGrath
W Mee
S Paterson
H E Skinner
P A Smith
V C Smith
C M Tideswell
D K Watts
S Webb
E Williamson
E Winfield
K Woodhead
On being put to the meeting the amendment was defeated.
Discussion on the original item ensued prior to be voted upon.
On being put to the meeting, the original motion was carried.