Staffordshire’s finance lead is calling on the Chancellor to back councils that are managing their money well and to protect the services families depend on.
The Autumn Budget will be delivered on Wednesday 26 November, and Staffordshire County Council says the decisions made will influence everything from day to day services to long term investment in the county.
Chris Large, the Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources, said the Budget will shape the finances of local families as much as it shapes the council’s own outlook.
“In Staffordshire, we are doing everything we can to make the funding we do have stretch as far as possible to ensure we can support those who really need it but also invest in areas which really matter to people.”
The council has been running an efficiency review through the year to try to free up resources and keep key projects moving. Work on the Keep Staffordshire Moving highways plan continues, along with efforts to build the local economy in towns and rural areas.
Chris said the county is trying to plan ahead rather than simply hold steady.
“We have ambitious plans for the county and have carried out our own efficiency review to help us do even more. We are already delivering programmes such as the Keep Staffordshire Moving highways plan and are now shaping Staffordshire as the economic engine and beating heart of the country to attract more investment to help our towns and communities flourish.”
The Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, is expected to set out taxation and spending plans in a statement that has already attracted speculation. Much of the precise detail affecting councils traditionally emerges in the technical documents released afterwards.
Chris said the financial picture remains challenging nationwide and warned against budget choices that could push extra burdens onto residents or local employers.
“There has been huge speculation about what will and won’t be in Rachel Reeves’ statement on Wednesday and for the council, the devil will be in the detail which comes out in the following days.
“We all know the Government has a financial blackhole to fix, but penalising ordinary working people, businesses looking to protect and create jobs and councils doing a good job like Staffordshire shouldn’t be the answer.”
The council will review the detailed documents once they are published later in the week.
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