WARRINGTON Borough Council’s Labour Administration will tonight (Monday) propose a legal balanced budget to full Council that seeks to keep the town’s finances stable and secure despite the continued pressures felt across the whole local government sector.
With 30 English councils now being granted Exceptional Financial Support packages from national government which allows them to borrow money to plug budget gaps, Warrington Council has taken significant steps to control its own budget and avoid this action.
Cllr Denis Matthews, Cabinet Member for Finance, said: “Our priority is to ensure that Warrington continues to be a great place to live and work. This budget allows us to maintain critical services – including waste collection, road maintenance, and community safety – while also investing in future growth through our local infrastructure.
“We are taking a careful and considered approach to financial management, ensuring that we continue delivering best value for residents. Despite the financial pressures affecting councils nationwide, we remain committed to providing quality services while keeping our finances stable and sustainable.
“In my opinion, the recently reported comments from some local Liberal Democrat councillors shy away from the tough decisions we have to make for the whole town and instead focus on the hyper-local. Put simply, it is the job of every elected councillor to ensure we retain the financial ability to deliver on our core responsibilities.
“Over the next three years, there is much to do to strengthen Warrington’s services and infrastructure. However, residents can be assured that this Labour administration remains committed to delivering on the promises we made. We will continue working to secure a financially stable future for Warrington whilst offering best value for our residents.”
His comments follow a strongly worded attack on the proposed budget by opposition Lib-Dem Cllrs. who say they have been rigorously scutinising the proposals behind what they call “drastic budget cuts” and are offering solutions – including a roll-out of one-hour free parking across the borough.
They say that despite the Labour government’s pledge to provide councils with multi-year funding settlements for financial stability, Warrington’s government grant has seen a negligible increase from £36 million last year to just £36.5 million this year.
