Conservative-led West Berkshire Council last night approved the budget for 2020/21 introduced by Council Leader Cllr Lynne Doherty. It sees West Berkshire Council funding increased by 5.6%, the biggest funding boost in a decade for the Local Authority.
Local authorities across the country, including West Berkshire, will receive a share of £49.2 billion local government funding this year – a 4.4 per cent real terms increase and the largest year-on-year real terms increase in a decade.
Funding for key public services will be protected, with significant extra resources dedicated to areas where they are needed most. Thanks to the investment being made by the Conservative Government, West Berkshire will have an extra £6.7million to spend this year.
The latest Local Government Finance Settlement, which was confirmed by Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick in February, includes an additional £1.5 billion for social care. When added to the existing social care package, local authorities will now have access to over £5.5 billion of dedicated funding across adult and children’s social care in 2020-21.
Commenting, Cllr Lynne Doherty said:
“I am delighted that thanks to the Conservative Government, funding for West Berkshire will increase next year.
This additional funding will help us to deliver against our residents’ priorities, in particular those identified in our Council Strategy, such as caring for our vulnerable, supporting a strong local economy and making sure our public services work for everyone. While we do still need to increase Council Tax to meet all demands, this is certainly a positive step forward and one I hope will continue in future years”.
