Montgomeryshire Assembly Member, Russell George, has accused Welsh Ministers of presiding over ‘unprecedented levels’ of local government funding cuts in Wales and that Powys Council had once again been singled out for the worst of the treatment.
The comments came during an Assembly Debate on the Local Government Funding Settlement for 2014-15. Mr George was scathing during his contribution in which he also called for wholesale reform of the local government funding formula because it did not properly take into account the challenges of delivering public services over large rural areas of Wales.
Commenting during the debate, Mr George said:
“Unfortunately all the recent political conspiracies and infighting within the Council has ensured that it has taken its eye of the central most important aspect and that is they have to make £20m of savings this coming financial year, due to another appalling settlement by this Government.
“We do now have a new leader elected and as for wishing him well and offering him my support, I trust we will now have a stable council to meet that challenge thrust on it by Welsh Ministers.
“Of course I understand, as do local authorities, that the difficult financial circumstances that we find ourselves in are going to be with us for the foreseeable future.
“It is quite clear from work carried out by the Welsh Local Government Association that Welsh local authorities will need to deliver services in 2020 with the same funding levels as 2000.
“However, I think we have come to a point now where the funding formula has to be fundamentally reviewed because for local authorities representing significantly large parts of rural Wales, the funding pressures are ever more acute.
“Powys was once again on receiving end of unprecedented cuts of local government finance. It’s the seventh year in a row that it has received the largest budget cut of Welsh local authorities and with a reduction of 4.6% compared with a Wales average of 3.4%.
“It has to find £40m of savings over the next three financial years and for an authority delivering vital local services across a very large geographical area that’s going to be very tough indeed.
“If the Welsh Health Minister has ordered a review of the delivery of health services across Mid Wales because of the pressures of geography and rurality, then I believe the Local Government Minister must do the same.”
