Labour London council cuts could be “existential” warns Lib Dem MP

Sutton and Cheam MP and Liberal Democrat Frontbench Spokesperson for London Luke Taylor has hit out at forthcoming cuts to council budgets in London - calling them “existential” for some key services provided by local government in the capital.

The remarks came in front of an audience of party members at this week’s London Liberal Democrats Conference. The party debated and passed a motion committing itself to oppose the government’s Fair Funding Review, which will see some councils in London lose more than 20% of their current grant funding.

Research from London Councils shows that the worst affected council, Kensington and Chelsea, could lose as much as 73% of their current grant funding.

The Review, which uses a formula for calculating deprivation among children that does not take into account housing costs, is forecast to cut £700mn from council budgets across London.

Speaking at the Conference, Luke Taylor MP said:

“These ridiculous cuts will mean that… support for the most vulnerable will wither on the vine.

“For nine of our thirty-two councils in particular, the cuts without a transition could exceed 20% of the current grant.

“That is the kind of territory when things start to get relatively existential for council services. And very dark indeed for the everyday Londoners who rely on them for their quality of life.

“For some boroughs temporary accommodation waiting lists, which are already piled immeasurably high, will simply teeter over and collapse.

“If this review goes ahead as it is - then it represents a fundamental threat to the ability of local government in London to do its job.”