News / Politics
Council faces further budget cuts, warns LGA
Bristol City Council faces further cuts to its central government funding, according to the Local Government Association(LGA).
The LGA, which represents local councils across the country, estimates there will be a £3.3 billion cut from English council budgets for services in 2016/17.
It warns that councils will need to prepare to make savings equivalent to 12 per cent of their total budgets.
is needed now More than ever
Bristol city council committed to making £83 million of cuts over three years in 2014, with 800-1,000 job losses expected in total.
The LGA’s annual Future Funding Outlook report, released last week, said pressure will now be on budgets for vital services like bin collections, buses and – crucially for Bristol – libraries.
The council announced in February that seven libraries in Bristol were under threat of closure with some 40 full time equivalent library staff who may lose their jobs.
A four-month consultation ends on June 30 before a decision is taken in July.
Further cuts are likely to come as a result of a combination of reduced government funding and rising demand on services by an aging population, the LGA said.
It called for a “radical reform” of the way public services are paid for. Chairman David Sparks said: “Core local government funding has been protected from further in-year cuts in the Budget but it is clear the Spending Review in the autumn will see councils continue to face challenging funding reductions and spending pressures over the next few years.
“Councils have already made £20 billion in savings since 2010 following reductions in government funding of 40 per cent and have worked hard to shield residents from the impact of funding cuts.”
He said “vital services”, such as caring for the elderly, protecting children, collecting bins and filling potholes, will struggle to continue at current levels.
He added: “If our public services are to survive the next years, we urgently need a radical shift in how public money is raised and spent, combined with proper devolution of decision-making over transport, housing, skills and social care to local areas.
“Fairer funding for local services, and the freedom to pay for them, will allow councils to tackle the big issues facing their residents and protect services which bind our communities together and protect our most vulnerable.”