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News

Fair Deal Petition Goes To Westminster

Borough of Poole’s petition supporting the ‘Fair Deal for Poole’ campaign is being delivered to Downing Street on Friday March 23.

Council leaders are taking the petitions to Westminster to convince the Government to give Poole a fair funding settlement in future years. More than 6,000 residents have backed the campaign launched by the Council to secure fairer funding from the Government for local services.

Poole is the fourth worst-funded Unitary Authority in the country and Councillors have been asking residents to support the cross-party campaign.

Leader of the Council, Cllr Brian Leverett, said: “I would like to thank the thousands of people who have sent letters and petitions in support of Fair Deal. It highlights the strength of support among residents for the Council’s campaign. We hope it will send a clear message to the Government that it needs to address urgently the unfairness of the current system to towns such as Poole.” 

Cllr Ann Stribley, Leader of the Council’s Conservative Group said: “Poole accepts there are differing needs across the country and we have never argued for being higher in the funding league table. What is grossly unfair is that year on year Poole and similar authorities receive well below average funding. We have received virtually no benefit from the Government’s increased investment in Local Government and we continue to fall further and further behind.”

Cllr Mike Brooke, Leader of the Council’s Liberal Democrat Group, said: “Now that the petition has been completed it is essential we raise our game for the next stage of the campaign. Arrangements are in hand to ensure the best possible case is put to Government before it adjusts the funding formula for the next round of settlements in 2008/9.  Our low education funding has to be addressed and the Lyons Report presents new challenges and opportunities which we must explore."

The Fair Deal petition and a letter addressed to the Prime Minister were delivered with the Council’s own publication Poole News to homes and businesses across the borough. Councillors also staged a series of Fair Deal events in the Dolphin Shopping Centre to encourage people to sign the petition and an electronic version has been available on the Council’s website www.boroughofpoole.com.

Ian Turner, Media Relations Officer, Borough of Poole, tel: 01202 633295