Opinion: Cross party working for the greater good

The city has a legal duty to pass a balanced budget.

Now, I could bore you to death with lots of data about how much money we no longer receive from central government (£46M since you asked) and how much of our budget is raised from council tax and business rates (72%, as you bothered to ask again). Reality is we must pull together to keep Peterborough solvent to avoid going ‘bankrupt’.

I was delighted that the council voted unanimously to support the budget.

The Conservatives played a full part in the working group, set up some two years ago, tasked with sorting out the city’s parlous finances, gained over 24 years of Tory mismanagement. And our improvement panel was most complimentary about the level of cross party working that had taken place when I became the group leader a year ago.

It’s a pity that momentum hasn’t been kept. The Conservatives make great play of suggesting that this budget was their own anyway. But where they may claim credit for the budget, they must surely also accept criticism of the cuts that were proposed, along with the proposed disposal of assets last June following the financial follies when the Conservatives were wholly and solely in charge.

I have been most concerned for the political amnesia suffered by Peterborough’s current MP as his every utterance seems to be prefaced by ‘AN’ – after November, as though every single ill, cut and deficiency is to be laid at the door of the current administration since taking over at the start of it as it is well charted that Peterborough’s problems were well known years ago.

However, according to the LGA, since the start of cross party working, of 40 Local Authorities likely to ‘go bust’, Peterborough isn’t among them. The Labour group continue to feel part of the process and remain pleased to support the current administration, choosing to rise above party politics, for the benefit of the city and its residents.

What we are doing in Peterborough will, I believe, be the blueprint for many authorities across the country; cross party working for the greater good locally after fourteen years of Tory austerity nationally.

Which brings me neatly to perhaps our largest ‘big ticket’ item, Children’s Services. I have been a proud corporate parent since being elected almost six years ago. Whilst I am deeply concerned the service was rated as inadequate, I am now working with officers and the LGA to implement the changes needed to restore our service for young people to good – and beyond.

Nevertheless, I remain concerned about the level of debt we carry for a small Unitary Authority. At £500M, accumulated over the past 23 years, paying interest of £33M a year, I am sure you will agree that this is far too high and makes life difficult for whoever is tasked to run the council, now and in the future.

However, I doff my cap to officers and members who have played an active role in helping to balance the budget although our finances are still precarious.

We must all continue to work together for the greater good when there is so much at stake, not only in Peterborough but throughout the country until we have a much-needed general election.

I believe the most important part of a councillor’s role is to manage expectations. And we must continue to do so, given the financial constraints we continue to work under.