Councils in row over funding cuts

At a meeting on December 12, the Conservative-controlled district council voted in favour of not transferring the money, saying it was not clear that it had received seperate funds from central government to do so.
However, in a statement to the Department for Communities and Local Government on December 18, the Conservative minister for Communities and Local Government, Brandon Lewis insisted the money had been distributed.
He said: “We have not separately identified the money because it is not ring-fenced and as caseloads change and schemes evolve, the amount that different parishes need will change.
“It would be wrong to manage that centrally.
“But we have been clear that we expect billing authorities to carry on passing on support to town councils and parishes to help mitigate any reduction in their tax base due to the local Council Tax support scheme.”
The decision not to transfer funds has caused outrage among West Berkshire town and parish councils, some of which will miss out on up to 10 per cent of their budgets leaving them facing the possibility of cutting services, raising precepts, or both.
Among the worst hit are Newbury Town Council, which could lose out on almost £90,000 and Thatcham Town Council, which faces a shortfall of almost £60,000.
Following the statement, the infuriated leader of Newbury Town Council, Julian Swift-Hook (pictured), said: “The comments from the government minister only confirms what I have been pointing out all along.
“It is explicitly clear that the money has been handed to the district council.
“I don’t see how it can be read any other way.
“During the meeting officers told me the decision could be revisited if there was a substantial change in information, which there clearly has been.
“I would now call on the district council to revisit the decision it made on December 12 as a matter of urgency.”
West Berkshire Council leader Gordon Lundie said it would be looking at its options over the next month, but laughed off claims that it was pocketing the money.
He said: “For Brandon Lewis to suggest the money is simply sat there is complete nonsense.
“We have always kept open the option to re-visit the decision.
“I am aware of Mr Lewis’s comments and we will decide over the next four to five weeks what action, if any, to take before announcing any changes at the end of February before the budget.
“We have taken a big cut in our Revenue Support Grant, around £4 or £5m.
“I am struggling to see where Mr Lewis says this supposed money is.
“It is easy for him to make his comments but he is not the one running the council.”
“I am not going to simply pass over money unless parishes are spending it carefully and for the benefit of the community.
“If you look into how Greenham Parish Council spend their money you will see that it spent around £1,500 on a necklace for its chairman.
“If we decide to give out money I will be very specific about how it should be spent.”