Central Beds Council leader writes to government over proposals that would wipe £24m of funding
Central Bedfordshire Council’s leader is putting pressure on the government over its proposed funding changes, which are set to wipe £24m off the council’s annual budget.
“With not long to go before CBC needs to approve a budget and set council tax for 2026/27, the government is still threatening to cut the local authority’s funding by £24m,” council leader and Independent Potton councillor Adam Zerny warned on social media.
A joint letter has been sent to the government, with the leaders of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Oxfordshire and several other local authorities, saying they “won’t wait calmly” while council tax rises and funding for public services is cut.
“This vital funding (£24m) is what allows the council to run key public services, such as care homes for the elderly, social care for children, road repairs and waste collection,” councillor Zerny added.
“As these are statutory services, the government traditionally has made a financial contribution towards them. We’ve hit budget in both of our first two years in administration and are on target to do so again.
“This would have allowed a council tax increase for 2026/27 of about half the size agreed last year. The government says its so-called fairer funding proposals are about redistribution.
“The county councils network (CCN), which works on behalf of local authorities, says 16 councils including CBC will lose a total of £470m funding during the next three years.
“A £24m reduction would have huge repercussions for CBC, as it amounts to the removal of nearly ten per cent of the budget. The council cannot stop providing statutory services, so the government is expecting it to make huge cuts to everything else.
“Public buses, libraries, children’s centres and leisure centres would all be at risk, if the government doesn’t reconsider. An alternative would be for the council to lay off huge numbers of staff, which would have a big impact on its ability to run services,” he explained.
“CBC has reduced its staffing by nearly 150 during the past year already. Senior officers tells us they believe employee numbers have been cut to the bone and are concerned further reductions would make it almost impossible to run the local authority.
“The government has assumed councils will put up council tax by five per cent, which is higher than inflation. We’d been planning an increase in line with inflation for the year to come.
“Conservative North Bedfordshire MP Richard Fuller and Conservative Mid Bedfordshire MP Blake Stephenson have been very supportive and have asked questions on our behalf.
“But it’s our Labour MPs in the government from whom I would expect real efforts, as it’s their party in office. Hitchin MP Alistair Strathern said he’d try to organise a meeting for us with ministers, while Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard MP Alex Mayer stated she ‘contacted the relevant minister.’
“No meetings have been arranged yet and time is running out. The government has encouraged the council to use third party consultants to help it find further savings, involving more expense.
“I’m working with other local authorities in the firing line. We’ve written to the government making it clear in no uncertain terms that we won’t wait calmly while they force people to pay higher council tax and reduce funding for public services.”