The big loser in the draft budget is
local government. The budget is cut by 3.5% or £500m in cash terms. On top of
that there are additional commitments like the NI increases that could double
that cut. CoSLA
calculates this will cost 15,000 jobs or ‘the equivalent of 50 Tata Steelworks’
– but don’t expect a taskforce!
There is the prospect of some additional funding
for social care routed through the NHS budget, but it remains to be seen how
much reaches these services when the NHS is under pressure and political
scrutiny. This emphasises the importance of local government speaking up for
council services that are just as important to our communities.
We need to expand the budget envelope not just
shunt austerity to councils. The Council Tax freeze is simply unsustainable and
there are indications that
the public agrees. The Commission on
Local Tax Reform has again run through the options, but a local income tax would
be a whole new headache.
