The amount of cash grant Bournemouth Council receives from the Government towards the cost of local services such as adult social care, children’s social services and refuse collection has been provisionally set at £54.8M, compared to £63.4M for 2014/15. This is a further reduction of £8.6M or 13.6%.
The amount of money the Council receives from the Government has been reducing each year since 2010, with the Council now getting 50% less than it was in 2010, a real cash reduction of £41.4million.
These cuts come in addition to the many new responsibilities imposed on the Council by the Government, for which it has provided no additional resources.
Cllr John Beesley, Leader of the Council, said, “2015/16 will be an extremely challenging year. Council Officers and Cabinet Portfolio Holders are working very hard to ensure that frontline services are delivered for local people within the funding that we have available.”
The Government announces its local authority funding in terms of Spending Power. Spending Power is made up of a number of elements which include Public Health and some NHS joint working, but these do not impact on the Council’s funding position. It follows, therefore, that spending power should not be used in terms of the actual cash reduction in the Council’s grant.
For Bournemouth’s Council Tax payers, the most significant budget pressures are in adult social care and children’s services, which now account for two thirds of the Council’s net expenditure.
