Council Leader Calls On Tory PM Hopefuls to Stand By Funding Pledges

Published on: 11 Jul, 2019
Updated on: 14 Jul, 2019

Cllr Tim Oliver

By Rebecca Curley

local democracy reporter

Surrey lead Cllr Tim Oliver has called on Tory leadership contenders Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt to stand by their promises and give more funding to local authorities.

He told the full county council meeting on Tuesday (July 9, 2019): “This council and the state of the council’s finances broadly reflect those of others around the country. I don’t think we are unique.

“I have listened to both of the candidates at the Local Government conference last week. Both have promised to support local governments more actively and visibly than has happened in the past.

“I don’t care how active or visible they are as long as they give us some more money.”

Later in the meeting, Cllr Oliver was asked if he had made “any specific plans to go to Number 10 Downing Street to talk to the new Prime Minister”. He said he may get invited “if it’s Jeremy Hunt perhaps”.

Mr Hunt is the MP for South West Surrey and lives in Godalming.

Surrey County Council has been trying to save £200 million over two years and recently Cllr Oliver said they were halfway through making those savings and on track.

A budget of £129.2 million was set for 2019/20 but the council is predicting further reductions from the Fair Funding Review in 2020.

The savings have already included cuts to adult and children’s social care statutory services with children’s centres closing and savings from providing taxis for adults with learning difficulties.

The Fair Funding Review will affect how funding is allocated and redistributed between local authorities from 2020 onwards.

The formula will take into consideration population, deprivation and sparsity along with additional cost drivers for the individual councils.

Cllr Oliver said the transformation the council was going through had already delivered benefits in terms of “better outcomes and more sustainable finances”.

“We have, for the first year in many, balanced the financial books,” he said. “We have a massive challenge again this year to do that, but I’m confident we will.”

He assured councillors they had “stress-tested” the transformation plan, adding: “We recognise that there is a severe underfunding for local government in a number of areas.

“I don’t know if we will have any members of parliament for Surrey in Cabinet or not. I don’t know whether that helps us or not.

“But as a Conservative group we will do all that we can to lobby a Conservative government for appropriate funding.”