'Black hole' in Central Bedfordshire Council's budget as it faces new decision day

Conservative Flitwick councillor Ian Adams dismissed suggestions that the vote which prevented the local authority’s 2026/27 budget being approved was based on “playing party politics”, as Independent council leader and Potton councillor Adam Zerny said.

Tomorrow, (Thursday, March 5) CBC’s budget full council meeting reconvenes to satisfy opposition group concerns. If no agreement can be reached to secure a balanced budget by the statutory deadline of March 11, the government could intervene in the process.

Bedford Borough Council has been granted exceptional financial support to aid its budgeting needs, although the town’s Labour MP Mohammad Yasin warned that this is “no blank cheque” as far as the council is concerned.

In a social media post, CBC councillor Adams wrote: “The issue for us is about millions of pounds of undefined savings and so-called cross cutting efficiencies.

“It’s whether we should rely on officers and expensive consultants to look for these in the next year and beyond. So the budget has a black hole in it, which we’re supposed to trust them to fill.”

He disputed that these concerns were only raised for the first time last Thursday (February 26), saying he asked questions about undefined savings during a scrutiny committee meeting in January.

“There was also a behind-the-scenes meeting with the consultants I attended,” he added. “They shared areas which they felt the council should explore.

“Councillors were really unimpressed because they didn’t come up with anything tangible, other than to suggest where they think the opportunities are in adult social care and such services (to make savings).

“All councillors made it clear to officers and executive councillors this didn’t tell us what we wanted. It’s the job of leading councillors to get ideas around potential alternative savings from their highly paid chief officers.

“The executive member for finance has worked hard, listened to some thoughts and made appropriate changes. But more is needed before this Thursday, when the budget has to be agreed.

“We can’t have millions of pounds of undefined savings or trust that chief officers and expensive consultants will deliver.”

CBC’s Liberal Democrat group is demanding a hardship fund to support the most vulnerable residents who would be “hit hard” by changes to the local council tax support scheme.

Group leader and Leighton Linslade South councillor Shaun Roberts warned: “Make no mistake, this will push the most vulnerable in Central Bedfordshire further into poverty.

“The Liberal Democrats couldn’t support the changes to the scheme last week and won’t endorse a new budget that doesn’t provide a safety net for the disabled, carers and lone parents, among the poorest people in our communities.”

Finance portfolio holder and Independent Aspley and Woburn councillor John Baker said at last week’s CBC budget meeting: “Luton Borough Council was celebrating around £163m over four years and then it put council tax up by five per cent.

“Even those that were given our money have put their council tax up. We’ll need to increase fees and charges by another 3.8 per cent from April.

“We only need to look at BBC when councillors won’t take a decision. Bedford borough taxpayers will pick up the tab over what’s happened there, with interest.

“That’s not a position we want to be in. Inspectors will tell members to take those decisions they didn’t take. If they came here, they’d tell us to raise fees and charges, to sort out the local council tax support and to make efficiencies.

“Bedford borough has received a bailout of up to £80m from government. As long as we take sensible financial decisions and continue to spend money on good things, we won’t end up like Luton, which received a bailout in 2020, and Bedford five years later.”