Council Reveals £21 Million Funding Gap as 'Onslaught' of Government Cuts Continues

Bedford Borough Council has revealed a new three-year budget forecast in the light of massive funding reductions from central government.

The publication of the Medium Term Financial Strategy follows the announcement of the final Local Government Finance Settlement, which included a cut of 80 per cent of the main government grant over the four years from 2015/16 to 2019/20. This has left Bedford Borough Council with a budget gap of £21 million by 2019/20.

The report details how the council has undertaken work to look at all areas of its budget to identify efficiencies and new ways of delivering services. It sets out the Council's approach to make necessary savings, while protecting those people in greatest need.

The Council has already achieved savings of £87 million since 2010 via measures including reducing staff numbers, cutting back office costs and introducing new ways of working.

Liberal Democrat Councillor Michael Headley, Portfolio Holder for Finance, said: "Unfortunately, efficiency savings alone won't get us anywhere near meeting the £21 million budget gap we have. It is going to be hard, and in some areas services will have to radically change. These decisions are being forced upon us by the onslaught of cuts in funding coming from central government.'

"We hope that by working together with the local community, we can find new ways of providing and protecting services that are important to residents in Bedford Borough. I want to be clear that our priority is to protect frontline services for residents to the greatest degree that is possible."

Mayor Dave Hodgson added: "With nearly £90 million of savings already made since 2010 by targeting back office functions, the scope for making savings away from the front line is disappearing fast in the face of the government's ongoing assault on local services. These figures lay bare the sheer scale of the budgetary challenge ahead, which will only be met via tough decisions that we do not want to make, but which will simply be unavoidable as we continue to ensure support is in place for the most vulnerable in society.