Bin & gone
Cash-strapped councils ‘can’t afford services like waste collection, fixing potholes and libraries’
BIN collections are “on the brink of collapse” as councils face a £8billion funding black hole, council chiefs will warn today.
Local authorities may no longer be able to afford core services such as running libraries, fixing potholes or even collecting rubbish by 2025 because of the cash crisis.
It will leave services such as the pick-up of household waste from millions of doorsteps “damaged beyond recognition”, experts say.
The Local Government Association says Chancellor Philip Hammond’s next spending review will be “make or break” for councils.
In the decade to 2020, councils will have suffered cuts in core funding from the Government of £16billion.
And authorities face an alarming funding gap of £7.8billion by 2025, according to a report. The LGA issued the warning at the start of its annual conference, in Birmingham.
Cash-strapped councils are now dipping into their reserves and many are in danger of running out of cash.
And because of the desperate bid to keep social care services running, others including weekly bin collections are under threat.
LGA chairman Lord Porter said: “We’ve reached a point where councils will no longer be able to support our residents as they expect, including our most vulnerable – let alone help the country to prosper.
“More and more councils are struggling to balance their books and others are considering whether they have the funding to even deliver statutory requirements. If the Government allows the funding gap... to reach almost £8billion by the middle of the next decade, our councils and local services will be damaged beyond recognition. “The impact on society – all places, all generations, every person – will be hugely damaging. Millions of people will be deprived of the vital local services that help improve quality of life and bind communities together.” Shadow Local Government Secretary Andrew Gwynne said: “Ministers can’t hide from the truth any longer – Tory austerity is decimating our local services.” A Government spokesman said: “We are working with local government to develop a funding system for the future.”
BY killing weekly bin collections, this Conservative Government proves it knows the price of everything and the value of absolutely nothing.
Slashing funds for councils is a needless austerity policy that is impacting badly on householders and tenants.
Blame rests first with David Cameron, then Theresa May, with £16billion wiped away since 2010 followed by an £8billion black hole up to 2025. It has left devastated local authorities struggling to provide even basic service.
Ministers hiding behind desks in London add insult to injury when they don’t have the guts to admit the damage they’ve caused.
Tory austerity was a political choice, a Conservative ideological obsession, never an economic necessity. Binning weekly refuse collections in many areas is infuriating as well as a potential health danger in this heat.
This Government really is rubbish.