Services must not be cut to pay for council’s Covid response

Bromsgrove Lib Dems have issued a call for services to be protected from cuts as it was revealed that Government support does not cover the council's losses and extra costs associated with the pandemic.

A recent paper submitted to the Overview and Scrutiny Board suggested that the shortfall in the council's finances could be as much as £1m.

At last night's council meeting (5 Aug), the first since February, Bromsgrove Lib Dem Group Leader Cllr Rob Hunter asked the ruling Conservative Group to lobby Government for a fair settlement for Bromsgrove. After the meeting Cllr Hunter said "I'm pleased the Conservatives have agreed to lobby government to make sure Bromsgrove gets a fair deal. Local residents do not deserve to have their services cut after all the sacrifices they have made.

Cllr Hunter also urged the council to undertake a full appraisal of businesses that have not received any support under the Government's local assistance scheme, to ensure all businesses that need it are able to get help.

Cllr Hunter said "officers have worked incredibly hard to reach out to as many businesses as possible and provide financial support during the pandemic and we thank them for their huge efforts. I am concerned about reports that some businesses have still not been able to access help. We need to make sure that we are helping as many businesses as we possibly can before we send any money back to Government that was allocated to help businesses in Bromsgrove."