We would love to hear your thoughts about our site and services, please take our survey here.
Very nice indeed.
Onwards and upwards.
TWO TORY-RUN COUNCILS warn PM of POSSIBLE BANKRUPTCY
Leaders of Kent and Hampshire county councils say even ‘drastic cuts’ to services will not be enough
Two of England’s largest Tory-run local authorities have warned the prime minister, Rishi Sunak, that they will be forced to declare bankruptcy within the next few months because of the unprecedented financial crisis enveloping both councils.
The leaders of Kent and Hampshire county councils said even “drastic cuts” to current services would not be enough to patch up the huge holes in their budgets created by soaring inflation and rising pressures in adult and children’s social care.
In a strongly worded joint letter to Sunak, Kent leader, Roger Gough, and Hampshire leader, Rob Humby, said while they recognised the difficult national economic circumstances, “we cannot sit by and let two great counties sleepwalk into a financial disaster”.
Ministers effectively had a choice, the letter said: to fund councils properly or change the law to remove the “outdated and under-resourced” legal obligation on town halls to provide services such as libraries and home-to-school transport.
Both councils faced budget deficits over the next few years “of a scale that has never been seen before”, they said, and unless ministers stepped in with emergency help and a long-term funding plan, they would be “likely to be considering section 114 [effective bankruptcy] notices in the next year or so”.
The letter said: “The problem is simple: the additional money that we can raise from council tax and business rates barely covers the normal inflationary pressures that we face each year. This leaves significant growth, particularly in adults’ and children’s social care, totally unfunded.
“Without a fundamental change either in the way in which these two services are funded, or in our statutory obligations, all of upper-tier local government will soon go over the cliff edge.”
But nevermind... GateBoy & longtermholder will bail them out with the help of CHURCHILLIAN BOZZA obviously...
WHAT AN ABSOLUTE SHAMBLES.
YAY BREXIT!
'Brexit is the ultimate reason why the UK now faces a fresh round of austerity, a former interest rate-setter at the Bank of England has said.
“The UK economy as a whole has been permanently damaged by Brexit,” Michael Saunders, who was an external member of the central bank’s monetary policy committee, said in an interview with Bloomberg TV.
“It’s reduced the economy’s potential output significantly, eroded business investment,” he said, adding: “If we hadn’t had Brexit, we probably wouldn’t be talking about an austerity budget this week.”
“The need for tax rises, spending cuts wouldn’t be there, if Brexit hadn’t reduced the economy’s potential output so much.”
Saunders joined the rate-setting committee shortly after the result of the Brexit referendum in 2016 and left the role in August this year.
He said the “main legacy of that period” was WEAK economic output.
Nevermind though. GateBoy, longterminvestor, MVarama etc.. know better.
Night night (willl the last one off this sinking ship turn the lights out).
The Lloyds Sp may have 'feck all to do with Brexit' but as for the dire UK economy.
I thought the Brexiteers were cheering the fastest growing economy in the G7?
Decent services would please the 'lefties' (people with a sense of decency) and that has to be paid for.
The happiest countries in the world have certain things in common, high taxes and a good level of service are two of them.
GateBoy after 12 years of Tory government and promise after promise to invest in the NHS i'd have thought the service would be in fine fettle.
Fact is, it's been brought to its knees.
Blair reduced waiting lists from 18 months to 18 weeks.