Council amongst hardest hit by Local Government Funding Settlement

The Government's Local Government Finance Settlement announced yesterday will leave West Berkshire Council among the hardest hit councils in the country.

The settlement, published on Wednesday (17 December), sets out funding for councils for the next three years - up to 2028-29. While the longer-term view will allow the Council to better plan its budgets, the figures show that West Berkshire will see one of the lowest increases in core spending power nationally.

The Council is still working through the details to understand the full implications of the funding settlement. However, according to Government figures, West Berkshire's core spending power - which assumes council tax will increase- will rise by just over a third of the national average. Without the projected council tax increases, the Council would have seen an actual reduction in spending power.

The Revenue Support Grant, a key source of Government funding, will fall sharply from £27 million to £16 million in just two years - almost halving in a short space of time. By 2029, the Council's core spending power will be £191 million. With inflation at 3%, the cost of essential services such as adult and children's social care, waste services and debt repayments would consume almost all of this.

Councillor Iain Cottingham, Executive Member for Finance, said:

"This settlement is deeply disappointing and will make an already difficult situation worse. West Berkshire is one of the most negatively impacted councils in the country, and the effect of years of austerity measures continues to compound the decisions we have to make. Despite our best efforts, this makes it extremely challenging to move towards a more financially sustainable footing while continuing to deliver the services our residents rely on. However, we will continue to do the best we can with what we have to ensure our residents continue to receive the services they rely on, and to continue to improve them, which is our objective across the Council."

For more information about the settlement visit the GOV.UK website.