My column for the Whitehaven News and the Times and Star:
I would normally try and use this space to talk about national issues, or issues where our MPs and government play a part. But, while it does somewhat cross over with government issues, it would be remiss of me to ignore recent reports about the dire financial position our council finds itself in, in just two years of Labour control, and similarly our Police Fire and Crime Commissioner - who has been in office for just 10 months.
The Labour Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner is already planning £11 million cuts to policing, despite also raising council tax by £16 million more than his Conservative predecessor projected.
And despite the narrative that some liked to paint about ‘cuts’, the last government left Cumberland council with a budget at its highest level ever, in real terms having accounted for inflation. Over and above public services, the council was to be the beneficiary of an additional £300m over the next seven to ten years for local transport priorities and roads from the cancellation of HS2. Despite HS2 still not going ahead, that funding has now been pulled by this government.
The Cumbria Coast railway line upgrade and the dualling of the A66 were all progressing but are now stalled. The council had funding to fill the gap in National Highways funding to deliver a new Brigham/Broughton roundabout, now no longer available. The council had funding to deliver upgrades the length of the A595, now no longer available. I often talk about ‘managed decline’, and this is exactly what we’re seeing in action. Hundreds of millions of pounds taken with one hand, and a Labour press release about £1 million ‘new funding’ handed out with the other.
The council budget presented last week, and adopted by Labour councillors without question, had a £23 million hole, filled by borrowing on the backs of council-taxpayers. A loan that was so unprecedented, it had to have government approval. A loan at borrowing rates not seen at such a sustained high level since the tail-end of the last Labour government. With plans to borrow much, much more - £212m over the next four years – simply to keep the lights on.
When the current crop of Labour councillors current term is up, we could be paying £1 million per week in debt repayments alone, which is simply not sustainable.
Alongside cuts to frontline services, removal of bin collections in the old Allerdale area and new charges for garden waste collection, every resident in Cumberland is paying much, much more for much less. While the Chief Executive picks up a £182,000 salary and at least 23 others are on over £100,000. I have no issue with people being paid commensurate to their position, but this is nothing more than rewarding failure.
Cumberland’s Executive and Senior Leadership Team need to get back around the table – this time putting council taxpayers at the forefront - and deliver the savings they still say will come from Local Government Reorganisation. Enough ‘jam tomorrow’.
