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Fair Funding Lobby heads to Westminster

In an attempt to reduce the burden to be faced by council taxpayers in Poole next year, a delegation will meet with Government Minister, Baroness Andrews OBE, Parliamentary Secretary, on Wednesday, to discuss next year's shortfall in government funding.

Council Leader Brian Leverett will lead a cross-party delegation to Westminster together with officers from the Borough of Poole to meet with Baroness Andrews, representing Local Government Minister, Phil Woolas MP.  Local MPs have also been invited to attend.

This year's Provisional Local Government Finance Settlement, announced in December, gives Poole only 2% extra funding next year, a third less than other Councils, to cover pay and prices, increases in energy costs, a new concessionary fares scheme, higher waste disposal costs, increases in residential social care etc.

Any extra funding will help avoid higher than inflationary increases in Council Tax without which some services budgets will be cut next year.

Cllr Leverett said: "I welcome this meeting to enable the views of the residents of Poole to be heard by Government Office. We must take every opportunity to make the Government aware of the inadequate and unfair funding that Poole receives compared with other areas. Although we are striving to make efficiencies this cannot go on bridging the funding gap as eventually this will lead to the unpalatable choice of either reductions in service or higher council taxes."

Rachael Mills, Media Relations Manager, Communications, Boroughof Poole tel 01202 633295