Revealed – over £7million to be wiped from council budget

Council Richard Farnell has called on councillors to “put aside party politics” to oppose the government funding cuts

Over £7million is being wiped from the Council’s budget, it has been revealed.

The budget cut is necessary because Rochdale Borough Council is facing cuts of 4.6% from 2015/16 and 2019/20 to central government funding which pay for general services in the borough.

http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/100541/council-facing-funding-cuts-far-higher-than-national-average

Rochdale Online can now reveal that the 4.6% equates to a whopping £7.2 million which will be lost within the next three years, inevitably having an impact on the services provided by the council.

Leader of the Council Richard Farnell has called on councillors to “put aside party politics” and collectively approach the issue with central government, saying that the cuts are unfair to the people of Rochdale.

Speaking at a full council meeting at Rochdale Town Hall on Wednesday (20 January), he said: “We are going to lose £7.2 million in spending power over the next three years. Cuts of this scale cannot be made without affecting essential front-line services.

“What we need to do is put aside party politics and collectively call for a better grant settlement. We should challenge the government, give us back out £7 million that we need for the services and the people of this borough.”