Councils say Budget was bad for local government
Author: Local Government Chronicle |
More than three-quarters of councils surveyed thought Alistair Darling’s Budget was bad for local government, based on a survey carried out by Localis. The local government and localist think-tank sought the opinions of 50 local government leaders, directors and chief executives from May 6-19 to assess opinions and responses to the Budget. The respondents were made up of 65% District Councils, 12% Metropolitan Borough, 8% Unitary, 6% County and 8% other.
The findings included:
– 78% of respondents thought that the Budget was bad for local government
– 80% thought that the Budget should have recognised a Greater role for Councils in dealing with the recession
– 35% of respondents were positive about statutory city regions
– 60% of District Councils believe that efficiency savings were not possible compared to only 12% for all other types of Council
The departments most likely to be affected by calls for efficiency savings were back office, leisure services, environmental services and community services.