Ben Everitt, the MP for Milton Keynes North, has welcomed a £20 million funding boost for Milton Keynes City Council as the Conservative Government sticks to its plan by more than halving inflation from 11.1 per cent to 4 per cent and giving local authorities the resources they need to support their communities in the long term and deliver a brighter future for the whole country.
The City Council will see its budget boosted by 8.2 per cent next year as part of the Government's £64.7 billion Local Government Finance Settlement next year – up £4.5 billion on this last year.
The Local Government Finance Settlement sets out how much councils have to spend on vital local services each year, including social care which will see a £1.5 billion increase in funding next year as a result of the announcement.
This additional funding also includes a £15 million increase to the Rural Services Grant worth £110 million of spending to spend on hard-to-reach rural communities.
Residents will also remain protected from excessive council tax increases thanks to Conservative reforms to council tax, ensuring councils cannot impose sudden and unexpected rises in council tax on local people without a referendum.
This additional funding comes on top of the £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund and £2.6 billion UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which are improving local and civic infrastructure and supporting local communities as the Conservative Government sticks to the plan to deliver a brighter future for all.
Ben Everitt MP said: "Having been a councillor myself before becoming an MP I fully understand the importance of funding for local authorities to deliver crucial local services for local people so I'm pleased Milton Keynes City Council will receive an extra £20 million next year.
"Public finances have been tough over the last few years due to the significant amount of spending the Government did during the pandemic to keep businesses afloat and people in jobs, through schemes like Furlough, as well as the impact of Putin's war on Ukraine, but thanks to the long-term decisions by the Conservatives we have now turned a corner."
Michael Gove, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, commented: “Today, I set out the final Local Government Finance Settlement for 2024-25. This makes available up to £64.7 billion for local authorities in England, an increase in Core Spending Power of up to £4.5 billion, or 7.5 per cent in cash terms, on 2023-24.
“This settlement, and the changes we have made to address concerns raised through the consultation, will provide local authorities with the tools to support their local communities, continue to reform their services for the long-term, and to help communities prepare for the future.”