Latest news with #JillyJulian
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The 'unjust' £250m problem set to rock Stockport
Stockport council has a mammoth task ahead. Town hall bosses need to save up to £60m over the next few years as costs to fund local services continue to grow. To balance the books, new charges are on the table for garden waste collections, car parks, and council tax, as part of the borough's budget plans. But a major new problem has reared its head which could slap the council with a near £250m bill, according to its finance cabinet member. READ MORE: Missing man in Tenerife has been 'found needing medical care' after family flies out to search, says sister READ MORE: Firefighters urge people to shut doors and windows in Stockport blaze Employer national insurance contributions are set to increase nationally, and Stockport council said it was promised extra cash to help cover the cost as part of its share of the Local Government Finance Settlement - a pot of cash given to town halls every year. But at Stockport council's latest cabinet meeting on February 4, Coun Jilly Julian said the borough has been given no extra money for the national insurance increases - leaving the council with a massive black hole to plug. She said: "We have been told that we will be compensated for the direct impact for the council of employer national insurance contributions increasing. '[But the latest finance settlement shows] we won't be directly compensated for the entirety of the impact of that additional cost. 'We know that there's going to be a shortfall of £233m from the funding that's been put forward in the final settlement, that's almost a quarter of a million pound hole in what we believed from the provisional settlement would be available to the council." The Local Government Association (LGA) has also warned about the problem. In November, the LGA's social care spokesperson, Coun David Fothergill, said the increases to employer national insurance contributions are "likely to add significant costs for councils and the wider sector," and risks "putting vital services at significant risk of collapse." Stockport council also missed out on millions of pounds of extra funding through the government's Recovery Fund - one of the only councils in the country to do so. But it did receive some extra cash from the government, with a 5.89 percent increase in the council's core spending power in 2025/26. On February 27, councillors in Stockport will vote on whether to approve the proposals to balance the books, which includes the proposed charges for garden waste and car parks. But in the short-term, pressure is growing on the council's ability to keep funding local service. Coun Julian said that the situation feels "unjust," but added that the council will still set a balanced budget this year. "The bones of it is, pressures exceed funding, it's that simple," she said. "For the 16th consecutive year there's insufficient funding with which we need to protect our most vulnerable residents, deliver vital social care services, and provide the universal services that all of our residents rely on." The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government was contacted for comment.
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Greater Manchester borough claims it is has not flood 'crisis relief' and is asking: 'Why not?'
Stockport council has made a plea to the government for 'urgently-needed resources', claiming funds to help with the clean-up in the wake of new year flooding hasn't come through. A major incident was declared - with more than 1,000 people rescued across Greater Manchester - following torrential rainfall. Stockport was one of the worst-hit areas. Around 400 people were forced to leave Meadow Mill in the town centre after the River Goyt burst its bank and flooded the car park and lower floors. Water and power supplies were cut off. Businesses at the industrial estate behind the flats suffered extensive damage. READ MORE: Waiting in the toilets at Manchester Airport, a gang of Americans thought they were about to make a lot of money READ MORE: Man tragically found dead in river almost two months after major search commenced is named The A555 Manchester Airport Relief Road was left submerged for days, while properties in Cheadle, Bramhall and other areas of the borough were also damaged. Stockport council said some of those properties 'won't be habitable again for months'. Town hall chiefs have now queried why financial support has not come through. The council's cabinet member for finance, Coun Jilly Julian, said the Flood Recovery Framework has not been activated for the area. Established in 2017, it is a central government scheme to support households and businesses in cases of severe flooding. But the council says its provisions have not been triggered, as it was in as it was in 2019, 2023 and 2024. "Without that decision, and the funding it makes available, councils simply cannot afford to provide badly needed relief," Coun Julian said in an open letter to Emma Hardy MP, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Water and Flooding. "However, despite the widespread devastation across our borough, we have received no correspondence from central Government as to why this support has not been triggered. "Therefore, on behalf of the residents and businesses of Stockport, I believe it's imperative to make two asks of you and your Government. Firstly, I'm keen to know why you chose not to activate the Flood Recovery Framework following the 1st of January 2025, and provide much needed crisis relief in an already challenging financial climate. "Secondly, in the absence of this funding, will you provide urgently needed resources to help those residents and businesses who are in dire need of central government financial support?" The government said it has set out plans for a new 'strategic vison for flood investment'. A consultation will be launched 'in due course', it added, which will 'will include a review of the existing formula to ensure that the challenges facing businesses and rural and coastal communities are adequately taken into account when delivering flood protection'. A new Floods Resilience Taskforce has also been set up with the first meeting chaired last September. A government spokesperson said: "Our thoughts are with all those whose homes and businesses have been affected by the recent flooding, including those in Stockport. "We pay tribute to the emergency services and first responders across the country for their continuous and dedicated work to keep communities safe. There is much more work needed to be done to protect homes which is why we are investing £2.4bn to build and maintain flood defences, which will help protect homes and businesses across the country."
