Trafford seeks permission to borrow £20m to bridge budget gap

Liberal Democrat Group Leader Councillor Shaun Ennis said, “The Labour Government’s new funding formula for councils has left Trafford Council chasing a huge budget gap, even as the Labour Town Hall Administration cuts another £17m from local services.”

“The Government is only supporting council’s with high levels of deprivation. It’s right to support those areas, but focusing only on deprivation means other factors are not being considered. Trafford has an ageing population, council tax that was kept irresponsibly low for years under the Conservatives even as costs rose and increasing demand across SEND and social services. In fact, we have less to spend on our residents per head of population than anywhere else in Greater Manchester.” 

Trafford Council requests £20 million government bailout - the second in two years 

Councillor Shaun Ennis said, “For the second year in a row under Labour, lack of fair government funding has led Trafford Council to request a bailout to bridge the budget gap. Last year it was £9.6m, this year it will be £20m.” 

“The Council has to pay this back at a rate of nearly £3m a year for 20 years. Residents deserve to know the truth and they’re not hearing it from Labour. This is temporary stop gap, we are circling the drain and Trafford Council is heading down the road towards bankruptcy in the not too distant future.” 

“This loan is not ‘support’, Trafford Council is drowning and the government’s response has been to strap a weight to our ankles.” 

"Nobody voted for this" 

Councillor Shaun Ennis said, “Trafford Council delivers services that people experience every day. The Council is full of staff, partners and officers who care deeply about providing high quality public services. We’re closer at hand than any Government in Westminster. With proper resources, local councils can deliver real change.” 

“I might not be a Labour politician, but I had hoped that when Keir Starmer promised change after years of Conservative failure, he meant it. But services are getting worse and it’s becoming harder with each passing year just to get the basics seen to for people.” 

“Nobody voted for this.  People looked to Labour to fix these problems. But two years on, if you live in Trafford, the Labour Government is not on your side.” 

Full draft budget proposals can be found here.