Hertfordshire County Council warns government funding plans could cut £50m from services
The fear this could represent 10% of Hertfordshire’s annual adult care budget and 20% of spending on children’s services
Hertfordshire County Council has warned that government proposals under the Fair Funding Review 2.0 could strip around £50 million a year from its budget, with what the authority describes as “significant” consequences for essential services.
In its formal response to the consultation, the council said government modelling suggests a reduction in grant funding of between £47m and £54m. That figure is equivalent to almost 10% of Hertfordshire’s annual adult care budget, 20% of spending on children’s services, or more than the council currently spends on day-to-day highways maintenance and urgent pothole repairs.
Council leader Steve Jarvis has written to Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Angela Rayner to urge ministers to rethink. He said: “Our commitment to supporting residents is as strong as ever but it is important to be clear that the Government’s plans, as they stand, will have a significant impact on how we deliver the services residents need and value.”
He added: “We do not feel that the government’s proposals are fair for the people of Hertfordshire, particularly when our net contribution to the economy is taken into account. We will use every way possible to make our position clear, standing up for the people of Hertfordshire and protecting their interests.”
Mr Jarvis told Greatest Hits Radio that while he supports the principle of targeting resources at areas with high levels of deprivation, he said it represents a massive reduction in the government grant to Hertfordshire County Council.
He pointed out that the county has already made more than £280m in reductions over the past decade, adding: “All the things that we could find easily to make the service more effective, more efficient have already been done and it’s really tough to identify how we’re going to reduce spending to that extent without damaging the services we deliver to some of the most vulnerable people in Hertfordshire.”
Among the areas of greatest concern are adult social care and support for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
Mr Jarvis said Hertfordshire already receives less funding per head than comparable councils. “Something like significantly less than Buckinghamshire and enormous amount less than some London councils,” he said. “We think we need to put more money into special educational needs and disabilities, not less. And that’s obviously difficult when the government is reducing the amount of money that it’s making available.”
The council has also raised concerns that the review does not sufficiently account for the higher costs of delivering services in partly rural areas such as Hertfordshire. Jarvis said: “It’s obviously more expensive to provide services for people with disabilities or children who need special help if they live a long way away from towns. They’ve also not taken account of the fact that costs of delivering services in Hertfordshire are high because we live in a part of the country where people can easily travel to London and earn more money, so that makes the cost of services higher.”
He warned that if implemented quickly, the proposals could leave no time to adapt: “We can’t save this sort of money without having some impact on both adult care and children’s services.”
Hertfordshire is working with other local authorities in the South East and parts of London also facing losses, and has held discussions with county MPs.
The council has called for revisions including recognition of rural deprivation, a broader assessment of local pressures, and delaying implementation until after planned local government reorganisation.
What does the government say?
A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said:
“No final decisions have been made and these figures should be treated with caution. The current, outdated way in which local authorities are funded has left communities behind and damaged local services.
“This must change and is why we are taking decisive action as part of our Plan for Change to reform the funding system so we can improve public services, while maintaining the previous government’s limits on council tax rises so taxpayers are protected from excessive increases.”