Agenda item

The Leader, Councillor Richard Cornelius moved reception and adoption of the report.

The Leader noted the Electoral Commission had advised it was conducting a review of the wards in Barnet, and that the Council was required to give its view by the end of the month as to how many councillors the Council views it needs, how many wards they should be distributed in and whether they should be evenly distributed. The Leader noted the Administration would prefer to respond on behalf of all Members, and sought the support of the Opposition to note Council’s preference is to have 21 wards of 3 Members each distributed evenly around the borough. The Leader of the Opposition, Councillor Barry Rawlings, confirmed that the Opposition Group supported this proposal.

The Leader then noted a proposed response to the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) consultation on the Fair Funding Review had been tabled around the Chamber. He sought the support of the Opposition for the Chief Executive to provide a written response to the DCLG on behalf of Council, by the end of the week. The Leader of the Opposition, Councillor Barry Rawlings confirmed the Opposition’s support for the proposed response. Debate ensued.

Councillor Richard Cornelius then moved a motion for council to agree the proposed response as tabled. The motion was seconded and unanimously agreed.

RESOLVED,

That Council notes:

1.      Government is currently consulting on their proposals for revision to the way local government is funded; the consultation is known as the Fair Funding review.

2.      In the summer of 2017, the Outer London Boroughs jointly commissioned an independent piece of research into their funding position under the current system of revenue support grant funding and their budget pressures.  This showed that:

·         Relative to Inner London, spending power for Outer London will be 19% lower in 2019/20, or lower by £161 per resident.

·         Relative to the rest of England, Outer London’s spending power will be 9% lower, or lower by £63 per resident.

·         The difference from Inner London is mostly due to the Outer London Boroughs’ lower levels of funding in the form of grants and retained business rates, though this is partly offset by higher council tax revenue.

That Council instructs the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Leader of the Council and the Leader of the Opposition, to respond to the Fair Funding review making the following points:

1.    Barnet, and other similar London Boroughs, are unfairly funded and therefore the council welcomes the review.

2.    That plans to simplify the formula, focussing on the most important cost drivers are welcome

3.    That the formula should be based on refreshed population estimates, taking account of transience and population movement

4.    That journey times are a more appropriate proxy of additional costs than rurality, as this allows impacts of urbanity such as congestion and lower speed limits to be considered consistently

5.    That deprivation, taking account of housing costs, should be a common cost driver.

6.    That area cost adjustments should take account of property and land prices, general labour market approach, private sector pay levels; and that levels of homelessness, people with No Recourse to Public Funds and unaccompanied asylum seekers should also be included within the formula as these present significant costs to local authorities.

Council further instructs that the reply should also set out the relevant factors for assessing social care, waste management and other costs in accordance with those identified in the research commissioned by Outer London Boroughs.