North Somerset Council calls on MPs to vote against government settlement.

The North Somerset Council is taking a proactive stance by reaching out to its local MPs, John Penrose and Sir Liam Fox, urging them to vote against the government’s proposed settlement for local government finance.

In a letter addressing the potential consequences of the settlement on the community, the council hopes that these discussions will lead to a reconsideration of the proposed plans.

This action follows a previous letter from the Leader of North Somerset Council to Secretary of State Michael Gove, highlighting the impact of the finance settlement in North Somerset and advocating for fairer funding for local government.

Cllr Mike Bell, Leader of the Council, said online: “We are doing all we can to shine a spotlight on the precarious financial situation that we, and councils across the country, are in. Costs are rising, especially in children’s social care, and we cannot continue to keep pace with demand.

“Our council receives approximately £37 million a year less in government grant than the average English council. Due to our low levels of council tax, our ability to generate additional income through local funding is also much more limited than it is for other councils.

“If action is not taken by government, then our services will suffer, it is as simple as that. I hope that the Secretary of State will respond positively to the reasonable requests we have made and that our own MPs will support us and our communities in securing a fairer deal for North Somerset. If change is not forthcoming, then I would ask our MPs to vote against the settlement as it lets down our area.”

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