Richard has welcomed the Government’s announcement that Bedford Borough will see its budget boosted by 4 per cent next year and Central Bedfordshire by 5 per cent, as part of the Conservatives’ commitment to give local councils the resources they need to support their communities as we recover from the pandemic.
Local authorities in England, including Bedford Borough and Central Bedfordshire, will receive a share of £51.2 billion local government funding next year – up £2.2 billion on this year. Funding for key public services will again be protected, with significant extra resources dedicated to areas where they are needed most. Thanks to this investment Bedford Borough will receive an extra £5.82m and Central Bedfordshire will have an extra £10.74m to spend next year.
The local government finance settlement sets out how much councils have to spend on vital local services each year, including social care which will see a £1 billion increase in funding next year as a result of the announcement. In total, local authorities across England will receive an extra £5 billion in support next year, including a further £1.55 billion in additional grant funding to cover costs relating to the pandemic and an extra £670 million to help families facing hardship with their council tax bills.
This is on top of the more than £7.2 billion in additional funding given to local areas throughout the pandemic so far to protect vital services that have kept vulnerable people and communities safe.
Commenting, Richard said: “Local authorities play a vital role in our communities, providing the crucial local services that people rely on every day. I am delighted that Central Bedfordshire Council and Bedford Borough Councils will have additional funding this year to give our local leaders the resources they need to lead the recovery of their communities while delivering the services that people rely on.
“This builds on the significant funding boost the councils received at the beginning of the year, underlying our determination to ensure all local authorities have the resources they need to drive forward our recovery in a way that works for our community as we build back better after the pandemic.”
