Government confirms cuts to North Somerset Council funding by £17.4m

North Somerset Council is scheduled to have its funding from Central Government cut by a whopping £17.4m over the next 3yrs in a blow that risks crippling vital services.

North Somerset Council has sought permission to raise Council Tax above the 5% maximum threshold in a bid to increase funds. If the request fails, the council will be left with no choice than to cut even more services to the residents of North Somerset.

In order to plug the existing gap in finances, the council has already undertaken a review of its current expenditure and is due to close libraries and reconsider projects, amongst other changes to the councils finances.

The council warns that the impact of these cuts will be felt across essential services, including adult and children’s social care, which are already under severe pressure. North Somerset has one of the lowest council tax levels in the South West, leaving it at a structural disadvantage under the Government’s approach.

Cllr Mike Bell, Leader of North Somerset Council, said: “The so-called Fair Funding Review is a sham. It papers over years of neglect, it refuses to fix the warped council tax system, and it withholds the basic funding we need to run essential services. It ties councils’ hands, then blames us for the consequences.

"Instead of repairing a broken framework, ministers have chosen to worsen it. Communities like North Somerset, with lower council tax bases, are hit hardest because we cannot raise enough locally to meet soaring demand.

"We were promised a fair deal, yet what we have been handed is a raid on our budget that will force brutal decisions on local services. This is not levelling-up, it is austerity repackaged.”