Liverpool City Council (City Council Meeting) 18th September 2019 Part 2 of 4
Channel: John Brace
Date: 19/09/2019

Liverpool City Council (City Council Meeting) 18th September 2019 Part 2 of 4

Filmed by John Brace https://johnbrace.com/ .

Council Chamber, Liverpool Town Hall, High Street, Liverpool, L2 3SW

The agenda and reports for this public meeting can be found on Liverpool City Council's website here http://councillors.liverpool.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=305&MId=17414 . 

Continues after a video is edited out from Liverpool City Council (City Council Meeting) 18th September 2019 Part 1 of 4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ft4UKrOPN8 .

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PART ONE

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2. Liverpool City Council's £57.6m Budget Gap in 2020/21 by Mayor Joe Anderson OBE and Councillors Richard Kemp CBE, Tom Crone and Steve Radford 0:01

Council notes the Government’s austerity budgeting has resulted in a 63% loss in funding, equivalent to £436m a year, from 2010 to date.

Council also notes that the Centre for Cities say that Liverpool has lost £816 of funding per person, one of the worst levels of cuts in the country.  

Council believes that the austerity agenda of Government is inherently unfair, removing resources from Liverpool Council to Deal with the high levels of poverty, need and demand for services. The needs and demand for services cannot be met by the low Council Tax and Business Rates that is collected annually.

The City has used reserves to pay for statutory services and that they have now been exhausted, leaving the Council with no financial options left.

Council notes the update to the Medium Term Financial Strategy presented to Cabinet on 30 August 2019. This update identifies a potential £57.6m budget gap for 2020/2021, which includes £32.6m of budget pressures and budget decisions still to be delivered in the current 2019/2020 year. Proving that austerity is not over for the City of Liverpool.

As a result of Government delays to the Spending Review, the Fair Funding Review and the new Business Rates Retention System, Council does not have enough information required to set a new three year budget for 2020 - 2023 and therefore Cabinet has agreed to propose that Council set a one year budget for 2020/2021.

This Council is united in our opposition to the continued systemic failure of Government to provide fair funding to the City that reflects our needs in providing services to residents. In particular, those affected by issues of poverty, disability, and vulnerability are most at risk of harm when services are withdrawn, while future generations of individuals and communities are at risk because services cannot support their ambitions and potential.

Council further notes the impacts and challenges of climate change faced by all individuals and communities, and having recently declared a Climate Change Emergency in recognition of this challenge, it is essential that Government provide fair funding to support the City Council in tackling this key issue.

This Council and all our political leaders are united in demanding an urgent meeting with Government ministers and/or treasury officials to highlight Liverpool’s perilous financial situation and requests the CEO on behalf of the Mayor and Leaders to arrange a meeting as a matter of urgency.

Continues at Liverpool City Council (City Council Meeting) 18th September 2019 Part 3 of 4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cn66yA-62HI .