'Political games' prevent council agreeing budget

Councillors in Central Bedfordshire have failed to agree a budget for the 2026-27 financial year.

It is a legal requirement for local authorities to deliver a balanced budget by 11 March.

However, although 17 councillors voted in favour of the proposed budget, another 34 voted against with four abstaining, meaning councillors will try again on 5 March.

Leader Adam Zerny said: "The political parties are playing political games and I became an independent councillor to challenge this sort of behaviour."

The council is under no overall political control and is run by the Independent Alliance group as a minority administration.

The Independent group, who make up the council's executive team, voted in favour and Zerny said opposition parties had "five months to help shape the budget".

He added: "We are all ears as to what the political groups have suddenly decided is now essential and in a week's time the budget will pass."

Reform UK's two councillors supported the budget and one of them, Pat Hamill, said: "We are certainly not bankrupt or in special measures, but are teetering that way if we do not vote for it."

The Conservatives voted against and leader Richard Wenham said: "Residents deserve better than the current proposal with yet more cuts to services."

He added: "Over the last three years the Independents have squandered council reserves dropping from £115m to £37m, failing year on year to deliver their budget."

Hayley Whitaker, from the Central Bedfordshire Community Network (who have 12 councillors), said "there were just too many holes in the budget" and added: "I couldn't expose residents to the possibility this would lead to even more cuts."

Meanwhile the Liberal Democrats would not support it either and group leader Shaun Roberts said: "It hits our poorest residents with a punitive rise in council tax that's going to drive more people into deeper poverty."

He added: We have no confidence it will get Central Bedfordshire out of the financial mess it finds itself in."

Labour's Matt Brennan said: "We are incredibly disappointed in the council's decision to make changes to the local Council Tax Support scheme. The real term cost of those changes is in those areas of greatest deprivation."

Non-aligned Independent Victoria Harvey also voted against.

When councillors meet again on 5 March they will discuss a budget with a maximum council tax increase of 4.99% meaning people in a Band D property would pay an extra £91.80 a year.

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