‘Fiddling while Rome burns’

Austerity is forcing nearly every English local authority to raise council tax over the next year, according to a new survey of council bosses.

The survey found that 80 per cent of councils believe that current funding levels are “unsustainable”, with 53 per cent planning to delve into their reserves.

Nearly a third, 29 per cent, are planning to reduce adult social care spending, 24 per cent expect to cut children’s care, 16 per cent plan to cut special eduction provisions and 11 per cent are considering cuts in homelessness services.

The poll of 158 senior council bosses from 123 of the 353 local authorities in England was conducted by the Local Government Information Unit (LGiU) and the Municipal Journal.

In total 97 per cent of council’s surveyed said they were planning to hike council tax over the next financial year, with 75 per cent planning increases of more than 2.5 per cent.

The same amount of councils are also planning to raise charges and fees, with 13 per cent mulling increases of 5 per cent or more.

Education and children’s services were the areas under the greatest budgetary constraints for 36 per cent of respondents, while 23 per cent said adult social services were under the most pressure.

Meanwhile cuts to leisure and parks are being considered by 45 per cent of local authorities, with 38 per cent planning budget reductions to roads, 32 per cent to libraries and 22 per cent to refuse services.

The report pointed to a ÂŁ16bn cut in local authority budgets by central government since 2011 for the present situation.

LGiU chief executive Jonathan Carr-West said, “We know that council funding is broken. Councils are making do by increasing council tax as much as they can, increasing charging and dipping in to their reserves,” he said.

“Even with these desperate measures they are having to reduce spending; not just on vital place-shaping services like leisure, libraries and parks but in core life-saving areas like social care and children’s services.”

Unite national officer for local authorities Jim Kennedy warned that cuts in local council funding are “changing the nature of society”.

He said, “Hiking council tax rates won’t solve devastating cuts to local authority budgets and the government knows this. The austerity inflicted by the Tories is hurting our society, especially the most vulnerable.

“Communities are losing libraries, leisure centres and parks as council’s attempt to plug gaping holes in essential services. Council tax rises are the equivalent of fiddling while Rome burns. The government needs to wake up to the damage it is doing and reverse the cuts.”