ENFIELD should suffer no cuts to frontline services as a result of government funding reductions, Tories have argued.
Yesterday's announcement by the coalition government of swingeing cuts to local council funding has been met with sharp criticism by the Labour administration on Enfield Council.
Leader Councillor Doug Taylor described the news of an eight per cent cut in central government money next year, equivalent to £15m, as a “massive blow” and warned “tough choices” would have to be made in the coming years.
But opposition leader Michael Lavender has argued the council's reserves levels should stand the authority in good stead to avoid painful service cuts.
He said: “What supports us in Enfield is the level of reserves the council has - £70m according to Labour's pre-election estimates.
“We all knew tough times were on the way because of the dreadful economic legacy left by the previous Labour government.
“The coalition government's reduction in grant level to Enfield will mean a 2.8 per cent cut in the amount the council can spend on services.
“Given the level of reserves the council inherited - saved for a rainy day such as this by the previous Conservative administration - Enfield council is very well placed to ensure there are no cuts to front line services in coping with a 2.8 per cent reduction in spending power.”
London Councils, the lobby group representing the capital's local authorities, reacted to yesterday's announcement by suggesting services would inevitably be hit by the cuts.
But Councillor Jonas Hall, Tory spokesman for finance in Enfield, suggested the government has used councils' spending powers to determine the amount of funding handed out.
He said Enfield has been calculated to have its spending power reduced from £289.7m to £281.6m, the equivalent of a 2.8 per cent cut, rather than 8 per cent being projected by Labour.
A consultation on next year's budget remains open, giving residents the chance to have a say on where the council's money is spent in the coming years.
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