Richmond Lib Dems Meet Minister To Lobby For Fair Funding

11.18.00am GMT Tue 8th Jan 2008

• FOLLOWING the announcement of another real-term cut in government funding for local services in Richmond upon Thames, Lib Dem Council Leaders and the borough's two MPs have been to see the Minister to demand a fairer deal. The delegation made three broad appeals to the Minister:

• Richmond upon Thames needs to receive a fairer funding allocation from the government - the general government grant only provides funding for Richmond residents at £147 per head compared with well over £200 per head in neighbouring boroughs such as Kingston.

• The Minister was asked to ensure that adequate funding was provided for capital investment in the borough - in particular the acute need to expand our highly successful primary schools.

• He was also asked to consider some relocalisation of business rates allowing value created in the local area to be retained and invested in the local area.

Leader Serge Lourie, and Deputy Leader Stephen Knight were joined by the borough's two MPs Vince Cable and Susan Kramer on Monday at a meeting with the local government Minister John Healey MP. Cllr Stephen Knight said: "We wanted to go and see the Minister personally to explain just how badly funded Richmond is. Local people have to fund over 81% of the cost of local services from Council Tax with just 19% funded by the government. This is the lowest funding level in the country, with most councils getting the majority of their money from government. We are one of the lowest spending, most efficient, councils in the country, but because we are massively under funded by government, local people have to pay one of the highest Council Taxes in the country and we think that's deeply unfair."

"I was very happy to have the opportunity to speak to the Minister along with Serge and our two MPs. But something must come out of this meeting. We have been looking for a fairer deal for Richmond for some years - so far to no avail. The government keeps piling more demands on us as a council and giving us less resource to deliver with. We are already one of the lowest cost councils in the country and for the second year running the Audit Commission has given us a four out of four for value-for-money. But, there is only so much that can be achieved from greater efficiencies and working smarter. We are committed to delivering quality services but if the Government does not give our residents a better deal, something will have to give and that can only mean higher taxes or service cuts."