York council accused of cuts to community funding for wards

Liberal Democrat councillors have called a budget decision made by the council a ‘community fund raid’.

At the first full council meeting under the new administration on July 20, Councillor Katie Lomas’ amendment to the budget included ‘reversal of a one-off growth fund to allow wards to invest directly in improvements to local communities’.

The Lib Dems said the reversal is a between 45 percent and 81 percent cut to local funding for small scale community projects, depending on the ward.

They said across the board, for every £10 available under the administration led by them for community projects, Labour are providing £3.

The full report of the executive member, whose portfolio includes finance, incorporates moving spending to outreach youth services, a pilot to extend universal free school meals up to Key Stage Two, and an allowance is put aside for a review of the ‘Blue Badge Ban’ for parking in the city centre.

Councillor Andrew Hollyer, representing the Haxby and Wigginton ward for the Lib Dems said: “This cut is simply devastating for our communities.

“Labour may argue that funding will be moved to better tackle the cost-of-living crisis, but, in my own area, our funding has recently been used to support our local food share projects which provides residents, from across the city, with access to food and essentials and it has been used to provide schemes to tackle children going hungry during the school holidays.

“To take away funding for real projects such as these, currently delivering for residents, to fund Labour’s pilots and pet projects that may never get anywhere is a perverse decision.”

Councillor Lomas brought her amendment to the first full council meeting of the new Labour administration (Image: City of York Council)

Cllr Lomas said: “The changes we have made to ward funding target those who need it most by using publicly available information about deprivation levels in wards.

“During the debate and question on my report at the council meeting I explained that I make no apology for targeting funding at those in most need.”

The new method of ward funding was announced by the council recently, which it said is based on new priorities and levels of need in the city – including levels measured against the national Index of Multiple Deprivation.

This is an overall relative measure weighted by income, employment, education, skills and training, health deprivation, crime, barriers to housing and the living environment.

Liberal Democrat campaigners for the Hull Road ward said the new council formula meant it had gone back on promises of a couple of months ago of ‘more of the same’ to be spent on projects there.

City of York Council funding proposals will be guided by what it says are emerging plan priorities of health and wellbeing, tacking the cost-of-living crisis, environment and climate emergency and equality of opportunity.

The council says this will mean a fixed amount of funding per councillor in each ward, as well as providing for initiatives that cover multiple wards, cutting back on red tape.

Westfield ward Councillor Andrew Waller said: "Labour is trying to draw into the centre of the council bureaucracy the funding decisions that should be made locally.

“It will become harder to show the positive effects that this has in local areas for the most cost-effective impact.”

Cllr Lomas said: “The old Liberal Democrat administration allocated ward funding on the basis of the number of councillors, meaning that wards like Westfield, represented by Councillor Waller had significantly less funding per household than other wards.

“Our reallocation addresses that, despite the pressing need to limit spending.

“I would hope that, rather than attacking the difficult decisions that we, along with many councils are having to make, the Liberal Democrat group would join us in campaigning for better a better funding solution from government that would enable us to do more for everyone in York.”

Read next:

• Liberal Democrats call for cross-party climate action after amendment denied
• Roadworks on major York road remove part of bus lane
• Council chiefs have message for residents amid ongoing binmen strike

A new post will be provided to help the council access external sources of funding, making good on a ‘neighbourhood caretaker’ pledge and cash to establish a climate emergency fund.

Budget allocations to the ward committee highways fund have been suspended for this financial year whilst the council plans longer term solutions for things like pothole repair.

There will also be an end to the Housing Environmental Improvement Programme (HEIP) fund, a four-year programme of improvements to local areas identified by tenants.

The council says its refocussing of funding ensures genuine benefits to the most vulnerable in communities and bring public health benefits through housing provision.

Of this programme, Cllr Waller, said: “Grants should be decided in an area to improve that part of the city – not have a distant decision forced on them.

“Liberal Democrat councillors will be pressing for local decision-making to be restored.”