Cash-Strapped Councils Asked To Prepare For A No Deal Brexit Is An Insult To Local Services

6 February 2019

Cash-strapped councils have been asked to prepare for the event of a no deal Brexit. This is an insult to heavily cut and already depleted local services...

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has sent letters to local authorities asking them for this preparation.

Wera Hobhouse said in response: “Asking cash-strapped councils to prepare for a no deal when it is in the Government’s gift to rule it out is nothing short of an insult to local services.

"With local government being eroded at every opportunity and councils struggling to even run just the most basic services, to add this burden for no reason other than to scaremonger support for the Prime Minister’s already defeated deal is utterly shameful.”

81% of the BANES council budget is currently used for children’s services and adult social care. Recent cuts have led to 300 job losses at the council while arts funding has been completely slashed. To expect local authorities to simply find extra funds to prepare for Brexit is both unreasonable and deeply unfair.

Wera continued: "Local government is being disregarded and facing funding cut after funding cut. Adult social care is facing a £3.6 billion funding gap by 2025, yet the Conservative Government have delayed the publication of Social Care Green Paper six times. The Tories are wasting the public’s time and money navel-gazing and it is having a damaging effect on our communities.

“The only way out of this chaos is to give the public a final say, with the option to remain in the EU.”