Rachel Reeves' Budget 'negatively impacts Buckinghamshire in many ways' says council leader
Buckinghamshire’s council leader has heavily criticised the Budget released by Rachel Reeves last week.
Councillor Steven Broadbent said the Budget will ‘negatively impact’ Buckinghamshire in many ways stating it will increase pressures on local businesses within the county.
Councillor Broadbent said in a statement: “As fully expected, this disappointing Budget negatively impacts Buckinghamshire in many ways and offers little genuine relief for the vast majority of our residents – plus even more pressure for our local businesses.
“The freeze on income tax and National Insurance thresholds until 2031 will hit middle earners in Buckinghamshire the hardest, and increases in tax rates on property and savings income will affect not just the wealthy but also our retirees and those who are supplementing their income with savings or rental properties.”
Aylesbury’s MP Laura Kyrke-Smith praised the Budget and the Chancellor’s decision to lift the two-child benefit cap, which experts estimate will bring hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty. She said: “It’s a budget that shows who we in this Labour Government are here for. It’s for children who are growing up in poverty. We’re lifting the cruel two-child benefit cap to get money back into families’ pockets and to transform the life chances of those kids living in poverty, including 2,700 here in Aylesbury and the villages.”
A spokesperson for the Treasury championed an ‘inflation-busting’ £150 of tax savings regarding energy bills and plans to freeze rail fare, but Buckinghamshire’s authority leader is unconvinced these will improve people’s quality of life within the county.
He added: “The much-publicised savings, such as the £150 average reduction in household energy bills and the rail fare and prescription charge freezes, are only a drop in the ocean when it comes to the struggles faced by many of our residents. These changes are also only temporary and don’t even begin to address the underlying cost pressures people are facing.
“Predictably, once again, there is no significant increase in core local government funding. Councils are expected to deliver further “efficiency savings” and absorb rising demand across a range of statutory services within existing budgets. We are facing significant demand for Special Educational Needs services and yet there is still no clear government solution to this national problem.”
Bucks Council has previously described the funding demands it faces due to an increase in demand for special education services ‘unsustainable’. Across Buckinghamshire there has been a continued surge in demand for education plans for SEND students and the council is dealing with a shortage of psychologists able to assist with special needs assessments.
In conclusion, Councillor Broadbent said: “This Budget leaves our council, already pressured, with below inflation core spending power and with us being punished for prudently managing our finances. We’ve worked hard to find efficiencies and make considerable savings to offset the rising costs and demand from national policy choices.
“The Budget leaves Buckinghamshire Council facing continued financial strain, with unresolved risks and no meaningful new support from Whitehall. Our residents will face rising taxes and persistent inflation, continuing to erode income with none of this offset with real solutions. I will continue to make these points to the government in the strongest possible terms and fight for fairness for our residents.”