Babergh's settlement from Central Government

A few days ago Babergh received news about how much lower the Council's grant from Central Government would be in the next financial year.

I did receive an e mail from Barry Hunter, the Director of Finance, giving me the numbers, but I seem to have lost it in the ether. I had requested that all Members receive an e mail giving more detail but no news so far! Nothing has appeared on the website either, as far as I can see, so I assume that officers are hoping to keep Christmas cheer alive at least this side of the New Year, and who can blame them?

The actual numbers in any event are not that important for the purposes of this blog. Suffice it to say that the fall over two years will be in double digits. This is pretty drastic, and at least as bad as we had been expecting. I am certainly glad that we have already taken a number of early steps to mitigate the impact on front line services.

The local press suggested that Babergh's settlement is the meanest in Suffolk. This is not true. We are, apparently, somewhere in the middle of the pack. For some reason however rural councils have done worse than urban ones. When (and if) I discover why I will let you know.