Opposition Councillors on Northumberland County Council have taken to their keyboards this week following the release of a report by the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee, reiterating the message Labour and true Independents tried to sell to Northumberland’s public during the recent local government election campaigns, that of ‘having a Tory Council costs you the public more’.
The Commons Public Accounts Committee has warned that the public could end up paying "more for less" as council taxes rise but services are cut to cope with the financial fall-out of the Covid crisis.
A report from the MPs says local authorities face holes in their budgets because of the Government's "over optimism" about the impact of the pandemic.
Council tax payers across Northumberland could see an average increase of 4.3% in their bills as the County Council try to shore up its balance sheet.
Local Councillors from Towns and Parishes have already told the Tories not to expect their precepts to be forced up to cover the costs of the pandemic which is purely a County Council matter and they need to face their public on their own.
The Commons report urges the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to do more to understand "financial pressures" on councils, whilst the Public Accounts Committee chair Meg Hillier said the department “needs to be a better champion for local government within Whitehall”.
The report also says the next Spending Review needs to include “full consideration of the longer-term effects of the pandemic".
The Tory led Local Government Association responded by pressing ministers to meet "all cost pressures and income losses incurred by councils as a result of the pandemic." Did HCA Secretary of State Robert Jenrick turn his deaf ear? Glen Sanderson hasn't and he's a Peer of the Local Government Association!
No comments:
Post a Comment