UPDATE: Liberal Democrat MPs challenge Government settlement for Somerset
Somerset’s MPs joined forces yesterday (Tuesday) to urge the Local Government Minister for extra funding to prevent an 11 per cent Council Tax rise in the county.
The meeting took place in the Parliamentary offices of Alison McGovern, who told MPs she would consider their proposals and respond as soon as possible.
Lib Dem MPs Gideon Amos (Taunton and Wellington), Adam Dance (Yeovil), Sarah Dyke (Glastonbury and Somerton), Rachel Gilmour (Tiverton and Minehead) and Anna Sabine (Frome and East Somerset) also represented their colleague, Tessa Munt.
They were joined by Ashley Fox, the Conservative MP for Bridgwater.
The Lib Dems had written to the Minister, describing the government’s provisional funding settlement for Somerset as “profoundly disappointing”.
The five Liberal Democrat MPs issued a joint a statement after the meeting, saying: “The provisional financial settlement for Somerset is a Labour government bombshell in which they look set to force an 11% Council Tax increase on to Somerset residents - Somerset Lib Dem MPs are fighting against this kind of unaffordable increase.
“This proposal from the government has led to council tax payers feeling even more anxious in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis. They should not be made to suffer further after what auditors have said were the ‘poor decisions’ of the previous Conservative-led administration and their woeful mismanagement of Somerset County Council finances.
“Speaking to the Minister, Somerset MPs we were crystal clear that the proposed increases would be far too much for residents to be expected to pay and that we strongly oppose it.
“We called on the Minister to increase the level of government funding to ensure any council tax rise would be far more modest.
“We highlighted that, as the fifth biggest council by land area in the country, Somerset suffers massively from the removal of remoteness uplift which recognised the additional costs of providing services in sparsely populated areas like Somerset.
“We also called for the £11million lost due to Business Rates reform to be refunded and highlighted the reduced public health budget leading to greater strain on care provision.
“In a constructive meeting the Minister listened carefully and invited us to submit more information including on the costs of health and care but we remain concerned that Labour does not properly understand the strain rural communities are under.
“They must now acknowledge the impact their changes are having on Somerset and the pressures of delivering vital frontline services across our predominantly rural county.
“We will be taking up the offer of a further meeting with officials as soon as possible and will continue to press home the need for higher year on year funding from central government for Somerset.
“It should not be for council taxpayers in Somerset to bail out a failing government care funding system”.
The MPs added that: “Two out of every three pounds of council tax paid in Somerset goes on care for vulnerable adults and children, services the government requires by law to be delivered.
“But the increasing numbers coming forward are placing additional costs of care services on the authority next year, a shortfall the government has failed to fund.
“Our Somerset councillor colleagues inherited what the previous Conservative council leader called a ‘ticking timebomb’ in the cost of care.
“The council has already made deep cuts with over 700 jobs going this year, it’s now between a rock and hard place – it is being asked to deliver increased care on reduced funding.
“As MPs we will continue pushing hard for central Government to step up with the additional support our county needs.
“We are campaigning on behalf of local taxpayers to increase Somerset's funding settlement to cover services central Government requires the council to deliver on its behalf”.
PHOTO: From left, Sarah Dyke MP, Anna Sabine MP, Alison McGovern MP (Minister), Rachel Gilmour MP, Gideon Amos MP, Ashley Fox MP and Adam Dance MP.
