This Council:

Fully supports the open letter signed by 151 Council Leaders (43%) from all political parties to the Chancellor of the Exchequer expressing concerns that further cuts to local government in the next spending review would have a devastating impact on services.

Notes that this letter was written before other Government announcements that the cut in Council core budgets would be £1 billion higher than assumed in the Spending Revue for 2015/16, bringing the overall cut in Local Government core funding around £5.5 billion in the next two years, which is a cash cut of 21% and a real term cut of 25%.

Agrees with the letter that local government bore the brunt of cuts in previous spending reviews and for the sake of the public services understands that this cannot continue. For many Councils, new funding cuts in 2015/16 will lead to a significant reduction in, and in some cases even loss of, important local services while noting that in comparison Whitehall departments will have faced average reductions of just 12%. The resilience of Local Government cannot be stretched much further.

Urges the Government to listen to the Local Government Association letter and also to reconsider the distribution of cuts which has resulted in heavy cuts to many Local Authorities whilst some Councils in the wealthiest parts of the Country receive almost no cuts at all.

And will therefore, add its name to this letter as a late signatory to show the people of Trafford that the Council can tolerate no further cuts to funding and demands that local government finance must be put on a more sustainable footing.

It was moved and seconded that:

“This Council:

Fully supports the open letter signed by 151 Council Leaders (43%) from all political parties to the Chancellor of the Exchequer expressing concerns that further cuts to local government in the next spending review would have a devastating impact on services.

Notes that this letter was written before other Government announcements that the cut in Council core budgets would be £1 billion higher than assumed in the Spending Review for 2015/16, bringing the overall cut in Local Government core funding around £5.5 billion in the next two years, which is a cash cut of 21% and a real term cut of 25%.

Agrees with the letter that local government bore the brunt of cuts in previous spending reviews and for the sake of the public services understands that this cannot continue. For many Councils, new funding cuts in 2015/16 will lead to a significant reduction in, and in some cases even loss of, important local services while noting that in comparison Whitehall departments will have faced average reductions of just 12%. The resilience of Local Government cannot be stretched much further.

Urges the Government to listen to the Local Government Association letter and also to reconsider the distribution of cuts which has resulted in heavy cuts to many Local Authorities whilst some Councils in the wealthiest parts of the Country receive almost no cuts at all.

And will therefore, add its name to this letter as a late signatory to show the people of Trafford that the Council can tolerate no further cuts to funding and demands that local government finance must be put on a more sustainable footing.”

It was moved and seconded as an amendment that:

“This Council:

Recognises the open letter signed by 151 Council Leaders (43%) from all political parties to the Chancellor of the Exchequer expressing concerns that further cuts to local government in the next spending review would have a detrimental impact on services;

Acknowledges that the economy is benefiting from the deficit reduction programme but contends that local government has reduced its expenditure significantly in comparison to central government departments and that further reductions of this scale are unsustainable;

And will therefore, continue to lobby the Department for Communities and Local Government for a fairer funding settlement for Trafford to show the people of our Borough that the Council can no longer tolerate further cuts to funding on the scale seen in recent years and demand that local government finance is put on a more sustainable footing.”

Following a debate on the matter, the amendment was put to the vote and declared carried. Consequently, the substantive Motion was put to the vote and declared carried.

RESOLVED: That this Council:

Recognises the open letter signed by 151 Council Leaders (43%) from all political parties to the Chancellor of the Exchequer expressing concerns that further cuts to local government in the next spending review would have a detrimental impact on services;

Acknowledges that the economy is benefiting from the deficit reduction programme but contends that local government has reduced its expenditure significantly in comparison to central government departments and that further reductions of this scale are unsustainable;

And will therefore, continue to lobby the Department for Communities and Local Government for a fairer funding settlement for Trafford to show the people of our Borough that the Council can no longer tolerate further cuts to funding on the scale seen in recent years and demand that local government finance is put on a more sustainable footing.