A Cumbrian council has been told to get a grip and stop blaming everyone else for its failures by a Labour MP.
Westmorland and Furness Council’s finance lead councillor blamed government funding cuts as the reason behind a proposal to increase car parking charges by 10% and begin charging for the removal of garden waste.
“Since we became aware of the Government’s intentions to change its Local Government Funding Formula, we have been warning about the impact that this would have on the council, our residents and our ability to deliver essential services,” Cllr Andrew Jarvis, who is deputy leader and cabinet member for finance, said.
But Barrow and Furness MP Michelle Scrogham said: “The leadership of the council needs to get a grip, start delivering for local residents, and stop blaming everyone else for its failures.”
A recommendation to increase council tax by 4.99% is being proposed. The latest inflation rate measured by the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) shows an increase of 3.4%.
The statement issued by Westmorland and Furness Council prompted an angry response from the Labour MP Mrs Scrogham.
“Over this Parliament Westmorland and Furness Council is getting a 12% increase in its core spending,” the MP told Cumbria Crack.
“This is the first long-term settlement in years, putting an end to years of cuts and uncertainty around council funding.
“And this is only a part of the council’s funding, it doesn’t include the Schools Grant, which rose 12% last year, SEND funding, or record funding rises for priorities like highways, fixing potholes or improvements to buses.”
The Government published its provisional settlements in December.
It decided to give councils multi-year settlements rather than paying out over individual years.
In 2024-2025, it said Westmorland & Furness Council core spending power – a standard measure used by government to assess councils’ overall funding – was £284.7 million.
Over the coming years Westmorland & Furness Council’s core spending power will be:
- 2025-2026: £309.9 million
- 2026-2027: £314.1 million
- 2027-2028: £315.9 million
- 2028-2029: £318.8 million
In addition, from this year, it will also benefit from the Fair Funding reset, a scheme which reflects deprivation, rural delivery costs and social care pressures.
- 2026-2027: £110.5 million
- 2027-2028: £96.3 million
- 2028-2029: £82.2 million
But the council is adamant it has looked to work more efficiently.
“We have looked to get as much as we can from cost savings, but these will not be sufficient to offset the loss in government funding,” Cllr Jarvis said. “Consequently, we feel we have no option but to implement increases and charges that we had hoped we could avoid.”
Earlier this year the authority underwent a peer review by members of the Local Government Association which made 17 recommendations in total.
Former council chief executive Sam Plum told Business Crack the review’s findings had not come as a surprise saying there would be ‘a period of time over the next kind of six to 12 months of planning that next transformation journey so that we can absolutely realise the benefits of being a unitary organisation.’
The timeline for setting Westmorland and Furness Council’s budget is that the authority’s cabinet will consider proposals on February 10 before making their recommendations to the council’s budget meeting due to be held on February 26.
While councillors may yet be hoping for a more generous government financial settlement when a final figure, due on February 9, is delivered the Barrow and Furness MP is urging the council to live within its means.
