Council launches Fair Deal for Bury

Bury residents are being urged to stand side by side and demand a better financial deal from the Government.

The council has launched a Fair Deal for Bury campaign in protest at being hit with savage budget cuts, and all concerned local voters can show their support by signing up to the campaign.

In the coming year, Bury’s funding from Government is being cut by 5.1% - compared to a cut of just 3.9% for the country as a whole, 3.3% for metropolitan councils (of which Bury is one), and 3% for London councils. Bury is also expecting to see further cuts of 9% in 2014/15 and a further 7.8% in 2015/16, with accountants fearing that this trend will continue until at least 2017/18.

This leads to big differences between the amounts of Government support that every person across the country receives, depending on where they live. For instance, if everyone in Bury received the same amount from the Government as residents do in neighbouring Blackburn, then Bury would get another £45m of grant, enough to cut our Council Tax by almost two thirds.

Councillor Mike Connolly, leader of the council, launched the campaign at last night’s (Wednesday 30 January) meeting of the council.

“Local government as a whole was singled out as the biggest loser shortly after the Government came to power,” he said. “Councils in the north of the country, with high levels of deprivation, saw their budgets cut by almost ten times the amount taken from rural southern authorities.

“To add insult to injury, Bury has then been singled out to have some of the highest percentage cuts made to its funding.”

Cllr Connolly added: “Bury Council has now said that enough is enough. Bury people have done nothing to deserve this horrific treatment and we are going to fight to get our fair share of the cake. I am calling on both our MPs to join the fight and to do everything they can to persuade the Government that this unfair system has to change.

“We are launching an e-petition and I would urge as many people as possible to register on our website at www.bury.gov.uk/fairdeal and to send a clear message to Whitehall that Bury deserves better.”

Cllr Tony Isherwood, cabinet member for finance and resources, said: “As a result of the treatment that Bury receives we are having to cut £35m out of our budget which means that we’ve got 25% less to spend on providing services. When you take account of expenditure that cannot be avoided and which we have no control over, we are having to make cuts equivalent to a third of our budget. 

“We are already one of the lowest spending and most efficient councils in the country and no council can make these sorts of cuts without there being a devastating impact on services, and on service users including those who are among the most vulnerable in our society.”

ENDS

Press release issued: 31 January 2013.