Council three years away from financial difficulty unless government funding improves, leader warns

Denise Jeffery made the comments as senior councillors approved budget saving proposals of more than £16m.

Proposed cuts include selling off Castleford Civic Centre and saving £3.5m by not replacing vacant council jobs.

The local authority faces a £35m funding gap over the next financial year

The shortfall for the five-year period to 2028/209 has been put at £86m.

Coun Jeffery said: “The current economic climate continues to have an impact on the council and all local authorities, resulting in increasing demand and rising costs.

“Decisions have not been easy but we are stable and we are sustainable.

“Quite frankly, whatever government gets in at the next election, if they don’t start to support local government, in three years we will be in a much more difficult position than we are now.

“Local government needs to be funded properly.

“Rather than just expecting us to put council tax up so that local residents pay for all the savings we have to make, we need to get that funding and we need to get that message across to whoever is in government.”

Almost half of the council’s budget is now spent on adult social care as the authority says more vulnerable residents rely on its services than ever before.

Coun Jeffery added: “Unless people are affected by looking after the elderly, or have issues with children, they resent the fact that we are not spending money on the good things, like Christmas lights and Christmas trees everywhere.

“We need to get across just how difficult it is for local authorities.

“After we have looked after children and looked after the elderly, there is not much left for anything else.

“We have got to get the message across to future governments, to this government, and the public, just how local government is funded.

“It really is a difficult and tough time.”

An announcement on the local government finance settlement for 2024-25 is expected later this month.

Cabinet members criticised the timing of the announcement and called on the government to fix funding allocations over longer periods.

Deputy leader Jack Hemingway said: “People don’t see the hard work that goes on behind the scenes to balance the books to reach the position where we are at.

“There is a good pedigree of strong financial management within this council that has enabled us to not be in the difficulties that some authorities are.

“What we need to see is stability in local government finance.

“Rather than settlements coming from the government at the last possible minute when it’s too late for council’s to respond, let’s have stability in multi-year settlements so councils like Wakefield can have certainty in how we are funded and how we deliver services.

Michelle Collins, portfolio holder for culture, leisure and sport, said: “It is ridiculous that we are getting to this time of year and no one knows what is happening next year.

“Nobody can plan a household on that, never mind a local authority.”