Council Says Funding System Costs Them 120 Million Per Year

Lincolnshire council feels shortchanged. They say government funding isn’t working. They claim they miss out on £120 million each year. Over 600 miles of roads need repair. They blame a lack of proper funding. The rising costs of care worry them, too.

School transport is also getting expensive. The government wants feedback on funding. The council says rural areas suffer. It claims residents are worse off. Transporting kids to school costs more now.

It doubled to £52 million since Covid. Adult social care surged by £120 million, too. Lincolnshire must cut services or use savings. The council calls the system unfit. They say they get disappointing funding. They have faced this for many years.

The current funding hurts rural areas. It doesn’t reflect their service costs. The council says their area loses £120m yearly. This is due to the government’s formula. Their method doesn’t cover rural service costs. Lincolnshire cut £380 million since 2010.

This badly hurt local bus routes. Rural residents need these without a car. Police force cuts also happened in Lincolnshire. Short, one-year funding makes planning hard. They say they were once stable financially.

But now, reserves are getting low. They use reserves for road repairs and transport. Many councils are near bankruptcy now. The system desperately needs changes. A committee is looking at local funding worth £120 billion.

The Labour government criticizes past council funding. They agree changes must happen. Many councils are giving evidence. Charities and experts are involved too. Hearings will carry on next month. A date for reform is still pending.