Mayor's Welcome for Unanimous Support for Council Budget

The Bedford Borough Council budget proposed by Mayor Dave Hodgson and his Cabinet for 2016/17 won unanimous support at a recent Full Council meeting. All Councillors present, across the Liberal Democrats, Labour, Conservative and Independent groups voted in favour of the budget, which included measures required to bridge a funding gap of over £9million due to brutal government cuts and rising need for care services.

Comments from across the council chamber acknowledged that government cuts to the council's funding are excessive. The cuts are combining with a range of other factors including an ageing population to create extreme, unprecedented financial pressures.

Mayor Dave has made clear that in this context, it has been impossible to avoid tough decisions that he and colleagues do not want to make. With savings of £81 million already achieved by the Council since 2010, the scope for directing savings away from the front line is reducing. However, the resounding vote in favour of the budget confirmed that Councillors across the Council chamber and in wards right across Bedford Borough recognise that it achieves the best outcomes possible for local residents in an extremely difficult financial landscape.

Commenting, Mayor Dave said: "It's good to see Councillors of all political persuasions pulling together for the good of residents in the face of the Council's unprecedented financial crisis. Government cuts and increased need for social care services have left us with a huge funding challenge. That's why, more than ever, it's crucial that we work together to get the best we can for local residents, in a very bad situation."