Council leader reacts to yesterday’s budget

Cllr Martin Hill OBE, leader of Lincolnshire County Council, has given his reaction to yesterday’s announcements by the Chancellor.

Cllr Hill said: “It’s too soon to judge the impact of today’s budget on the council’s finances. We will need to work through the effect of the rise in the national living wage and employers National Insurance contributions. We will also need to await further details on the 2% budget cut across all government departments and how this will translate to local government funding.

“We’re also concerned about the impact of these tax rises on local businesses, particularly alongside the planned changes to business rates and inheritance tax on agricultural and business assets. Again, we’ll need to look at how this might affect growth within the local economy and any knock-on effects this might have. 

“To offset the announcement of a dramatic increase in taxes to record levels, the chancellor has promised extra money for public services, with additional funding for areas including pothole repairs, schools and special educational needs. Of course, this will only be good news if Lincolnshire receives its fair share of any new funding. For too long we’ve been short-changed by central government, with the challenges we face in delivering services in a rural county and the rising demand for support not fully reflected in our funding. So, it remains to be seen if this new money will make a real difference to our residents and relieve pressure on overstretched budgets or not.

“Finally, the special treatment given to mayoral areas has again underlined the importance of the Greater Lincolnshire devolution deal in ensuring our region is not left behind. So, we will continue to work with partners on the creation of a mayoral combined county authority to make sure things progress as planned.”