Local Government Finance Settlement Response from Bristol Lib Dem Councillors
Statement from the Liberal Democrat Group on Bristol City Council regarding the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement published on 18th December:
“The next few years are crucial for our city. Bristol has been left in a precarious financial position following years of mismanagement and recklessness from the previous Mayoral-led Labour administration. From a housing stock with thousands of outstanding repairs to an overspending and underdelivering social care service, the consequences of Bristol Labour’s disastrous control of the council are clear to see.
For too long, the Labour Mayor’s agenda saw peoples’ council tax going to flashy projects and overseas photo opportunities. To balance the books, essential maintenance was left undone, disastrous cuts were made to services, and unrealistic savings targets were set.
As a result, the council faces a £51.6m black hole in its finances next year because of Bristol Labour’s careless spending of public money. At around a tenth of the council’s annual budget, this is a huge amount of money for the council to find. This now leaves all councillors in the difficult position of having to make tough decisions to deliver a balanced budget.
The Local Government Finance Settlement was an opportunity for the Labour Government to do what the previous administration couldn’t: secure the council’s services for all Bristolians.
We welcome the increase in funding for social care as announced by the Government in the Autumn Budget. Documents recently released by the Government indicate that Bristol will receive an additional £7.1m in its Social Care Grant - a 17% increase. The Liberal Democrats know that properly funding social care is absolutely critical to fixing our NHS, and we are pleased to see that tackling the homelessness crisis in our city is being prioritised.
However, with Bristol looking to receive only 1.4% (£1.9m) more from the Settlement Funding Assessment, it is clear that Labour have failed Bristolians yet again. The Recovery Grant, meant to support councils struggling with rising costs, has resulted in £11.5m being allocated to Bristol. Whilst this is a modest contribution, it is far from the funding Bristol City Council needs to plug its financial blackhole and to improve the services it delivers to residents.
The rest is left to the people of Bristol to pick up the bill for a Labour administration that was more interested in its own wasteful vanity projects than delivering for its residents. The Liberal Democrat group calls on the Labour Government to correct this wrong, and to urgently allocate more funding and resources to Bristol and other local councils across the country.”