Politically Speaking by Jon Trickett – We must not return to ravages of austerity

Reaching this point has not been easy. It has required a collective effort and sacrifice from all of us.

Throughout this crisis, Wakefield Council has embodied the community spirit shown by everyone in our district.

It continues to go above and beyond, supporting communities, providing essential services and protecting the most vulnerable.

Wakefield Council has provided support to more than 1,400 businesses since the Covid-19 restrictions began, as well as supporting an additional 5,567 businesses by administering grant payments totalling £63.6m.

The level of support Wakefield Council has provided throughout this pandemic is even more impressive when you consider that the funds provided to our local authority this year by the Tory government is £54.7 million less than was allocated in 2010.

Yes, the government has provided local authorities like Wakefield with some extra funding to help them during this crisis.

However, off the back of a decade of austerity that forced councils into cutting vital services, much more is needed.

Findings by the Local Government Association have highlighted the extent of the funding gaps local councils face. Indeed, Wakefield Council faces a budget gap of £15 million.

The Chancellor’s Summer Statement last week disappointingly failed to remove the impending October cliff-edge of unemployment - 48,800 workers have been furloughed across the Wakefield district, which is one in five of our area’s total workforce.

One in five of our area’s total workforce is made up of workers within the manufacturing, retail, food, accommodation and arts sectors.

These are all industries which have been hit hardest by Covid-19. Come October, many workers in these sectors will be facing difficult circumstances requiring the support of their local authority.

I have said previously on these pages that a locally-led response is required to plan a way out of this crisis. It is the local authority on the ground that understands the issues facing businesses across our area.

However, local responses will be severely hampered if councils face funding gaps and are left to plan ahead without financial support from this Conservative government.

Decades of austerity have already stripped local councils down to the bare bones. When it comes to paying for the financial fall out of coronavirus, there must be no return to the ravages of austerity.

By the same token, there must not be a return to the days of cash strapped local authorities facing the tough decisions of which services to cut and which to keep.

Instead, this government must work with local councils to provide whatever funding is necessary for them to set about the task of rebuilding our communities.