Pendle Council spending £1m. less a year on key services since 2010

The TUC has looked at the impact of cuts on local government funding across England. Its analysis finds that in 2010/11, Pendle Council was spending £2.4m. on key services such as social care, waste management, libraries and transport.

But by 2018/2019 – following years of central government cuts – council spending had fallen by 38% (£1m.) to around £1.4m. These cuts are double the national average (16%) and is also considerably harsher than the average for the North West (21%).

Councils in England as a whole are spending £7.8bn a year – £150m. a week – less on key services than they were in 2010, before the government’s programme of austerity began.

UNISON North West regional secretary Kevan Nelson said: “Local council-run services hold communities together but nine years of Westminster-imposed austerity has put an immense strain on their ability to do that. The North has borne the brunt of these ideologically motivated cuts, with many North West councils suffering cuts of over 50% to their central Government grant funding.

“Across the North West, central government spending cuts have forced libraries to shut, care visits have been reduced, allotments and parks sold off, youth centres closed and subsidised bus services scrapped.

“With the government squeezing council finances, authorities have had little choice but to increase charges to local residents, reduce essential services or cut them altogether. Now nine years on, the cupboard is virtually bare and some local authorities can no longer provide the legal minimum.

“It’s been those councils in the most deprived parts of the country – where local people rely on services the most – which have been hit the hardest. This desperate situation cannot continue. Services are on their knees, the next Government must invest in Northern communities immediately.”