Making a difference to the people of Medway

Deputy Leader Alan Jarrett: Underfunded - but still bossed around

Article posted on Friday, 31 July 2009

One of the things the Conservative administration did some years ago was to reduce the amount we spend on attending national conferences and seminars. This was done purely on the basis of ensuring we get value for council taxpayers’ money.

Now, a mere handful of conferences are funded each year, and one of the most important and valuable is the Local Government Conference.

There was further evidence that Medway is grossly underfunded by national government. Speaking to the leader of the metropolitan borough in Lancashire, I found out that even though its population was only about 20,000 more than Medway they were getting £40,000,000 a year more than us in government funding!

There are plenty of other examples of these unfairnesses, which can only be described as an outrage. Hopefully, the new government next year will start to address these inequalities, thus giving us the money we need to continue to improve Medway.

The other thing that continues to irritate us in local government is the constant haranguing from above to improve and make more efficiencies. Nothing wrong with that as a principle, of course, but when you put that against the backcloth of massive waste and duplication of effort at national government level it really does rankle.

We are told to set council tax at a certain percentage; to make savings based on percentages; and to make improvements in the same way. Never once does the government take account of Medway’s relative position to other councils.

This means that unfairness in the funding system are made worse year on year, and it becomes harder each year to improve services in Medway.

Despite all of that Medway is well run, and this Labour government could learn a thing or two about efficiency and delivering value for money if it were to follow the Medway model of financial management.

Here we have produced a balanced budget for the fifth successive year. We have done that without borrowing massive sums that will take decades to be repaid- which is the Labour government financial model.

Local government continues to be the most financially efficient part of the public sector, with Medway very much leading the way.

Cllr Alan Jarrett is Deputy Leader of the Conservative Group and represents Lordswood and Capstone