Mayor Dave: If PM's Words on Austerity Mean Anything, Government Must Halt Punishing Cuts for Local Services

Mayor Dave Hodgson has insisted that if Theresa May's claim that 'austerity is over' means anything at all, the Tory Government must use its forthcoming budget to change course dramatically over its plans to continue with massive, punishing cuts for local services.

Commenting on a statement from the Local Government Association (LGA) about the £1.3 billion government funding cut Councils face in 2019/20, Mayor Dave wrote on Facebook:

"Theresa May says 'austerity is over'. Yet this is the reality councils are facing. We've already seen a number of struggling Conservative councils go to the brink of financial collapse, but Councils like ours that have rigorous financial controls and are fighting to save services are also facing the same pressures.

The government is stripping away local services right across the country, and we're fighting week in, week out to avoid that fate here. If Theresa May means what she says, the Government simply must change course dramatically in the budget later this month."

You can read more on the LGA's analysis of the impact of the Government's funding cuts and Councils' predicament on the LGA website here