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LG Settlement 2014/15 . Presentation for the SDCT . Main points . July consultation details largely confirmed £130m of holdbacks back into RSG Business rates concessions to be paid for with s.31 grant Spending power reduction capped at 6.9% each year No announcement on CT excessiveness
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LG Settlement 2014/15 Presentation for the SDCT
Main points • July consultation details largely confirmed • £130m of holdbacks back into RSG • Business rates concessions to be paid for with s.31 grant • Spending power reduction capped at 6.9% each year • No announcement on CT excessiveness • No DWP grants • Another late settlement – responses by the 15th (next Wednesday)
Political slant • Continuing to see 'fairness' as a matter of equal shares rather than needs based • Additional money for sparse areas • Rolling CT Freeze into the baseline to make it easier for Councils to make that choice • A return to ringfencing - using NHS/Social Care funding as part of spending power
Choose your measure…. Change over two years 2014/15 and 2015/16; Spending Power -4.5% Government funding -8.5% Government funding (excluding NHS funding) -15.9%
Two versions of fairness Incidence of spending power and cuts by relative levels of deprivation (IMD)
Council tax • 1% freeze grant on offer for 14-15 and 15-16 • Referendum limits – by law does not have to be announced until settlement is confirmed by Parliament • Brandon Lewis reply to Commons question; “Any authority that is looking to put up its council tax and to penalise local residents by charging them more should have the courage to hold a referendum and let the public decide” • Will levying bodies be included? – but the Local Audit and Accountability Bill needs to be law
Conclusions • A predictable settlement • Some more good news re: holdbacks • Government announcement of overall Spending Power figures hides a great deal of variation • Social care ‘protected’ by a ringfenced arrangement • Cuts on other services will be much greater than headline announcement suggests • An interesting story unfolding around Council Tax limitation