Council 'should get a grip' over tax hikes says MP
LDRSAn authority that plans to hike up its council tax and other charges has been told to "get a grip" by an MP.
Westmorland and Furness Council said a "sharp cut" in funding from the government had led to "tough choices", which included plans to raise council tax by the maximum 4.99% as well green bin fees and parking charges.
The council said the decision was "difficult and challenging" but there was "no option but to implement increases and charges that we had hoped we could avoid".
Labour MP for Barrow and Furness Michelle Scrogham said: "The leadership of the council needs to get a grip, start delivering for local residents, and stop blaming everyone else for its failures."
The government has just overhauled how it distributes funding to councils, with a final settlement expected next week.
It means there is a stronger link between how much funding councils get with deprivation levels in the area, according to the House of Commons Library.
Liberal Democrat-run Westmorland and Furness Council and other critics have said it does not fairly reflect the extra cost of providing services in the countryside.
Scrogham said the council would get a 12% rise in funding between 2024 and 2029.
House of Commons/Roger HarrisThree-quarters of that 12% rise came between last year and this year, the figure does not take inflation into account, and it assumes a significant increase in council tax revenue.
Deputy leader of the council Andrew Jarvis said: "We have looked to get as much as we can from cost-savings, but these will not be sufficient to offset the loss in government funding."
However, Scrogham said: "What I actually want them to look at is delivering the services that matter to residents.
"I am constantly getting complaints from residents that bin collections aren't being done, that litter isn't being collected, that weeds are growing all over the place.
"These are the basics that the local authority should be doing and they're not even managing to get that right."
The council, which is to consider the proposals on Tuesday, said the government's council tax assumptions were "overstated".
It said in a statement: "Forecasts assume 2.9% annual tax base growth, but the actual growth for the council is closer to 0.7%, creating an additional funding gap of £5m in 2026-27 rising to £15.7m by 2028-29.
"The proposed approach fails to reflect the higher costs of service delivery in rural areas, the impact of tourism on infrastructure, and the unique challenges faced by sparsely populated communities and higher costs in delivering services."
Responding to Scrogham's comments about missed bin collections and litter it said: "Our waste, highways, and street cleansing teams work hard every day to deliver these essential services.
"We use the information we gather to identify where and when issues such as litter build up are most likely to occur, including any emerging hot spots, so that we can target resources where they are needed most.
"Following disruption in Furness over the festive period, a lessons learned review is already under way."
