Labour MP for Salford and Eccles, Rebecca Long Bailey, has accused the Government of a stitch-up after the Chancellor handed hundreds of millions of pounds to the wealthiest Tory councils to ease the pain of spending cuts – but offered nothing to Salford City Council.
Salford City Council has suffered some of the highest spending cuts since 2010, but has received nothing at all in today’s announcement. Meanwhile, leafy Surrey – one of England’s wealthiest shires – today gets a hand-out of £24m despite suffering far fewer cuts in recent years.
Tory MPs became alarmed when they realised their areas might soon see cuts similar to those imposed on the rest of the country. They threatened to vote down the Government’s planned cuts until Communities Secretary Greg Clark announced a £300 million ‘transitional grant’. The Government have refused to say where the extra money comes from.
Labour analysis shows that £255 million of the grant – 85% – goes to Tory councils. Areas where Labour runs the council receive just £17 million, despite suffering the harshest cuts since 2010 and having higher levels of deprivation.
Rebecca Long Bailey said, “I am appalled. The Government have had since 2010 to convince us that their local government austerity agenda is necessary.”
“In that time whilst they have slashed the budgets available to Salford City Council for the provision of essential services they have handed out tax breaks for millionaires, slashed inheritance tax and done very little indeed to curb tax avoidance, allowing firms such as google to pay very little UK tax.”
Read: 186 jobs to go as Salford council announce £21.8m cuts
Steve Reed MP, Shadow Minister for Local Government, said, “The Government is covering up where this money has come from and won’t explain why almost all of it is being handed to Tory councils just weeks before council elections across the country.”
“Councils that have already been cut to the bone since 2010 are getting nothing but more cuts, The Tories have picked millions of pounds from taxpayer’s pockets to buy off their own MP’s when faced with a rebellion in the House of Commons.”This is a blatant misuse of public money in a shameless attempt to buy votes and buy off Tory MP’s.”
