WORCESTER’S MP has welcomed a move by the Government to ease the cuts in their support grant to councils – which will benefit Worcestershire County Council by £5million.
Robin Walker and new County Council leader Coun Simon Geraghty held talks in Westminster last week with the Communities Secretary Greg Clark urging him to rethink the Revenue Support Grant funding handed to Worcestershire County Council. The 33 per cent slash in funding left council chiefs having to plug an £11million gap in their 2016/17 budget.
It appears the Government has listened to their concerns as they announced a £150million transitional fund to ease the cuts in the support grant over the next two years, with Worcestershire receiving £2.5million in 2016 and again in 2017.
Despite the welcomed decision, Mr Walker said it remained a ‘tough settlement’ but the extra cash would go some way to help ease the financial strain on the County Council.
“This remains a tough settlement for local government and I am not going to pretend that Worcestershire faces no challenge,” Mr Walker said.
“But, I am delighted that Greg Clark really engaged with the arguments from Worcestershire and other Counties and every one of the points local MPs and councillors raised.
“The additional £5million of transitional funding in the first two years will make Worcestershire’s task slightly less daunting but the changes to the formula and the improvement in the rural services grant should also help substantially as time passes.
“We made the case to the Secretary of State that reductions in the direct grant from Government should also be mirrored by more rapid devolution of business rates and I am hopeful that the strongest possible case can be made for a County deal that delivers this.”
