October 26, 2017 3.21 pm
This story is over 76 months old
Martin Hill: Positive talks about Lincolnshire funding
If you want to make things happen, it’s often best to talk to the person at the top. That’s exactly what Lincolnshire council leaders – supported by local MPs – did last week when we had talks with the two politicians directly responsible for local government. We spent 40 valuable minutes at the House of…
By Martin HillLeader of Lincolnshire County Council
If you want to make things happen, it’s often best to talk to the person at the top.
That’s exactly what Lincolnshire council leaders – supported by local MPs – did last week when we had talks with the two politicians directly responsible for local government.
We spent 40 valuable minutes at the House of Commons with Sajid Javid, the Communities and Local Government Secretary, and his minister, Marcus Jones.
That enabled us to make our case for fairer funding for the county – something that we’ve missed out on for far too long.
I’m pleased to report that it was a very constructive meeting, and that Mr Javid fully recognised the strength of our arguments.
So what exactly is our case? And how did Mr Javid respond?
It’s been obvious for many years now that the way money is shared between councils across England needs a massive overhaul.
As things stand, urban areas – for example, some of the inner London boroughs – get far too big a slice of the cake compared with rural parts of the country.
Even when it comes to the county councils, Lincolnshire is close to the bottom for the amount of financial support we receive from the government.
At the moment, we’re missing out on £116 million a year – or £239 less for every household – compared with the average for English councils.
That puts local frontline services under threat as we struggle to balance the books, while other areas get better services for less council tax.
In our meeting, Mr Javid praised Lincolnshire County Council as a well-run authority providing good services, especially given our low level of financial support.
He also accepted that the current funding formula is unfair to rural areas, and stressed his personal commitment to reforming it.
As regards timescales, Mr Javid suggested that there could be further government announcements about this before the end of the year, following the Chancellor’s November budget.
However, a new funding formula won’t be in place before April 2020 at the earliest, which means no big change for at least two years.
I’m confident that the county council can find the savings we need to protect frontline services until then, despite massive reductions in our funding over the last few years.
These have come at a time of rising costs and demand for services, which are particularly expensive to provide across a big rural county like ours.
In the not-too-distant future, then, something has to change, as the government itself appears to recognise.
As I said, it’s always helpful to talk to those at the top – and I was certainly encouraged by what I heard at the House of Commons last week.
What difference could £116 million a year make?
The campaign for a fair deal for Lincolnshire has shown how local services could be transformed if the county received the average level of funding.
Extra cash on that scale could pay for a new bypass, hospital or major road improvement scheme every year.
In addition, there would still be money to fill four times as many potholes, provide fibre broadband for every business, and freeze council tax.
Martin Hill OBE is the Conservative Leader of Lincolnshire County Council. A former farmer, Martin was elected to Lincolnshire County Council in 1993, representing Folkingham Rural. He became council leader in 2005 and was later awarded an OBE for services to Lincolnshire. Martin lives in a former pub at Kirby Underwood with wife Janice and their irrepressible Patterdale Terrier, Boris.
The Lincolnite welcomes your views. All comments are reactively-moderated and must obey the house rules. Please stay on topic and be respectful of other readers.
If you want to make things happen, it’s often best to talk to the person at the top.
That’s exactly what Lincolnshire council leaders – supported by local MPs – did last week when we had talks with the two politicians directly responsible for local government.
We spent 40 valuable minutes at the House of Commons with Sajid Javid, the Communities and Local Government Secretary, and his minister, Marcus Jones.
That enabled us to make our case for fairer funding for the county – something that we’ve missed out on for far too long.
I’m pleased to report that it was a very constructive meeting, and that Mr Javid fully recognised the strength of our arguments.
So what exactly is our case? And how did Mr Javid respond?
It’s been obvious for many years now that the way money is shared between councils across England needs a massive overhaul.
As things stand, urban areas – for example, some of the inner London boroughs – get far too big a slice of the cake compared with rural parts of the country.
Even when it comes to the county councils, Lincolnshire is close to the bottom for the amount of financial support we receive from the government.
At the moment, we’re missing out on £116 million a year – or £239 less for every household – compared with the average for English councils.
That puts local frontline services under threat as we struggle to balance the books, while other areas get better services for less council tax.
In our meeting, Mr Javid praised Lincolnshire County Council as a well-run authority providing good services, especially given our low level of financial support.
He also accepted that the current funding formula is unfair to rural areas, and stressed his personal commitment to reforming it.
As regards timescales, Mr Javid suggested that there could be further government announcements about this before the end of the year, following the Chancellor’s November budget.
However, a new funding formula won’t be in place before April 2020 at the earliest, which means no big change for at least two years.
I’m confident that the county council can find the savings we need to protect frontline services until then, despite massive reductions in our funding over the last few years.
These have come at a time of rising costs and demand for services, which are particularly expensive to provide across a big rural county like ours.
In the not-too-distant future, then, something has to change, as the government itself appears to recognise.
As I said, it’s always helpful to talk to those at the top – and I was certainly encouraged by what I heard at the House of Commons last week.
What difference could £116 million a year make?
The campaign for a fair deal for Lincolnshire has shown how local services could be transformed if the county received the average level of funding.
Extra cash on that scale could pay for a new bypass, hospital or major road improvement scheme every year.
In addition, there would still be money to fill four times as many potholes, provide fibre broadband for every business, and freeze council tax.
Councillor Martin Hill is the leader of Lincolnshire County Council.
The Lincolnite welcomes your views. All comments are reactively-moderated and must obey the house rules. Please stay on topic and be respectful of other readers.
The 2024 Lincolnshire Business Excellence Awards are now open for nominations, seeking to spotlight outstanding businesses within the Greater Lincolnshire area.
Hosted by Stonebow Media, the publisher behind The Lincolnite and the MyLocal platform, this prestigious event is designed to honour the achievements of the regional business community.
Thanks to the headline sponsorship from the University of Lincoln Enterprise & Research department, the Lincolnshire Business Excellence Awards are a unique opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the contributions of local enterprises.
The awards are also sponsored by Ringrose Law, Duncan & Toplis, Sills & Betteridge and Pearson Hydraulics. A small number of sponsorship opportunities remain available. Contact [email protected] to discuss partnerships.
Businesses can nominate themselves across eleven awards categories:
The deadline for nominations is May 24, with the judges’ deliberation lunch set for May 29.The judging panel includes business experts and professionals from Lincolnshire and event sponsors.
The Lincolnshire Business Excellence Awards 2024 gala will take place at the Engine Shed on July 12, 2024.
Enhance profile & credibility: Securing an award or being shortlisted acts as a powerful endorsement, signaling trustworthiness to potential customers and helping to distinguish your business from competitors. Displaying the award on your communications can significantly boost your brand’s perception.
Insightful focus & feedback: The application process encourages deep reflection on your business strategy and direction, offering invaluable feedback and clarity, even for new ventures.
Team confidence boost: Recognition from the awards can significantly uplift your team’s morale, affirming the value and potential of your business in the eyes of industry experts.
Marketing & PR boost: Being associated with the awards, even as a nominee, can enhance brand visibility, providing ample content opportunities for social media and other marketing channels.
Networking opportunities: The awards connect you with local business leaders and experts, offering a platform to seek advice, share ideas, and foster future partnerships. The ceremony itself is an excellent occasion for networking with peers and celebrating mutual successes.
Potential to win: Entering offers a chance to win and gain all the associated benefits, but even without taking home a trophy, the process can yield significant advantages for your business.
A Lady Gaga loving kitten owned by a couple who run a charity for disabled pets featured on Channel 5’s The Pet Psychic.
Pet Psychic Beth Lee-Crowther comes to the aid of pet owners and in Tuesday night’s episode she met Cookie the kitten, a depressed camel, and looked at whether a dog can predict the future.