This week’s Autumn Statement did nothing to address 13 years of failure by the Tory Government, who have implemented their austerity agenda since 2010.
Over the last 13 years, councils have seen significant reductions in their budgets, which has severely affected vital local services. Household budgets have been stretched to their limit, as people struggle with the energy crisis, inflation and Tory mortgage penalty, while wages have failed to keep up with the cost of living. While inflation fell to 4.7%, prices are still rising.
Not only did the Autumn Statement fail to alleviate the financial pressures on households, it offered nothing to address the serious financial situation that councils are in. Councils have worked hard to find efficiencies and reduce costs, and the easy savings have long since gone. This will mean more difficult decisions to come.
Deputy Council Leader and Finance Lead, Cllr Jacob Taylor said: “The Autumn statement was a colossal failure in terms of supporting the local services that people rely on. Council’s all over the country, including those run by Conservative administrations, are in financial dire straits – and yet Jeremy Hunt chose not to provide any increased funding for local government services whatsoever.
“We await the final detail on the local government settlement, but based on the headline figures, Brighton & Hove City council will likely have to find millions more savings next year than planned, because the Tory government has chosen to ignore the crisis in local government funding. Residents in Brighton & Hove should remember that every council service that sees reductions will be as a result of Rishi Sunak’s Tory government making deliberate choices, and ignoring what people need.” ENDS
