Stand and deliver for Bury

Hello everyone. You may know that the Chancellor is delivering his Spring Budget today, and I’m hoping that he will announce the fair funding deal that Bury needs.

I use the word ‘hope’ advisedly, as I’m not optimistic that he will suddenly hand over the millions of pounds we require to pay for services which the most vulnerable people in our borough rely on every day.

I have written to the Chancellor on the subject of our finances, explaining the quandary we are in. We are in the bottom 20% worst-funded councils. We are also being hit by a ‘triple whammy’ of inadequate funding, huge increases in costs, and ever-increasing demand for services – particularly in adults’ and children’s social care, which accounts for three quarters of our budget.

The extra money the Government has recently given us is certainly welcome, but it will not come anywhere close to what is needed to prevent further cuts in the coming years.

Last autumn, we launched our Let’s Fix It Together campaign. And I want to say a huge ‘thank you’ to everyone in Bury who got behind it. Our petition has been signed by more than 1,500 people – by residents, by workers, by local businessmen and women, all of whom think Bury deserves a fairer funding deal from central government.

At the council, we’re playing our part, by seeking to boost economic growth with our regeneration plans and investing in neighbourhood working.

Our residents are doing their bit too – by recycling more, by becoming foster carers, and by volunteering.

When the Chancellor stands at the despatch box today, I hope he will deliver what Bury needs.