The Executive meeting of July 27 considered a report that contained some proposed service reductions within my area of responsibility. While I had misgivings, I voted in favour because the alternative would mean cuts to statutory duties that we could not begin to contemplate.
Many residents have little appreciation of the full extent of a council’s statutory duties.
I’ve tried to find a clear list, with the intent of sharing it publicly, but there is nothing up to date. The best that I’ve been able to find is a 2011 attempt by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, which resulted in two spreadsheets with a grand total of 1,340 entries.
More have been added since 2011, and more will be added this year, implementing the Protect programme and Biodiversity Net Gain. But typically, with this financially illiterate government, such statutory duties are handed down either underfunded, or completely unfunded.
Not all apply to Wokingham Borough Council, but being a Unitary Authority, most of them do, including adult social services, children’s services, environmental health and community safety. So, the ever-increasing burden of statutory duties is absorbing an ever-increasing share of the council tax cake.
Add to that this government’s capping of council tax for ten years, below or well below inflation, thereby undermining all councils’ financial stability. And their deliberate impoverishment of WBC and some similar councils in supposed “better off” areas, by stripping away our Revenue Support Grant.
And so, our spending power is dramatically below what it was 10 years ago while our statutory duties are significantly greater, taking up a larger share of a cake that is shrinking in real terms.
The net result is that we are forced to cut in non-statutory areas, and any opposition councillor who suggests that we can simply redirect government grants for capital projects such as cycling infrastructure is being deliberately and maliciously disingenuous.
But you might ask why the previous administration did not react to this, but instead continued with such profligacy as free, albeit never budgeted, food caddy liners. They even signed off long-term Grounds Maintenance and Street Cleansing contracts with built-in inflation-linked price escalators, even though they knew that their own government was intent on slashing the council’s spending power.
They did not call out this dishonest, corrupt and incompetent government because it is their party – the one to which they pay their subscriptions and donations. And then they pretend that they are somehow financially competent.
So, I voted for a report containing some proposed service reductions, but it is about time that our residents were told that the real cause of service cuts is the financial incompetence that is inherent in today’s Conservative party.
Cllr Ian Shenton is the executive member for environment, sport and leisure at Wokingham Borough Council and ward member for Evendons
