Redbridge Council responds to government cuts

Redbridge Council is having to make a number of savings in order to deal with large government cuts. As part of the 2015/16 budget proposals, the council needs to make £36 million worth of savings in seven months.

The latest proposals will see funding to Redbridge Council cut by almost £100 million by 2018. This means the council is working to save £70 million by 2017/2018 to make up for losing half of the direct funding received from the government. 

Councillor Jas Athwal, leader of the council, said: “We face eye-watering cuts and have no time to waste. The budget proposals are part of our determination to grow our way out of this very difficult position. We refuse to manage decline. While other councils turn off street lights and don’t maintain their weekly bin collections, we are protecting and investing in many key services despite the huge financial pressures.”

The local government finance settlement that was announced at the end of last year also means that the council will face further cuts of £16 million in 2015. The council will lose £11 million next year as a result of the government's use of damping, which reduces funding to some councils to increase it to others. Currently Redbridge Council is fighting this decision.

Cllr Athwal said that the cuts being made by the government aren't taking into account the rising population in the borough and how this leads to a rise in service demands.

Despite the added pressures government cuts are putting on the council, it is not planning on withdrawing money from areas such as Adult Social Care, which it sees as being vital. Money has also been set aside to provide for children who require complex and specialist placements, even though the government has reduced grants in this area.

In order to save money, the council is aiming to reduce investment in non-vital services and streamline its processes. It will be investing in new technology to ultimately save money and make online services more efficient and easier to access.

Published 19th January, 2015

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