Shropshire Council leader: Extra Government funding doesn't go far enough
Extra funding from Government for Shropshire Council does not go far enough to prevent extensive cuts, according to the authority's leader.
Councillor Malcolm Pate, said that a pledge from Greg Clark, Secretary of State for the Department for Communities and Local Government, to provide an extra £8.5 million for Shropshire over four years appears to fall short of what the council needs.
Last week councillor Pate visited Westminster as part of a Shropshire delegation to inform the Government that an extra £20 million would be needed each year to prevent the closure of the county's museums and leisure centres.
Reacting to the latest announcement he said: "While it is a welcome addition to the settlement it would appear in the preliminary assessment that it does not go anywhere near solving our problems - although it will alleviate them."
Councillor Pate said that the shortfall would still leave the council having to make its "red savings", which include proposals to cease all funding for its museums and leisure centres.
He said: "Our preliminary assessment shows that with the extra money after taking off our green and yellow savings it will still leave some of the red savings."
Shrewsbury and Atcham MP Daniel Kawczynski had said he would vote against the Government's local finance settlement if Shropshire Council was not satisfied with it.
The MP has said he will be consulting with Shropshire Council to see if the latest offer is enough to vote for the bill.
