The current pressures on the council are not new and also not of our making. We have been warning of them for some time. But we are facing these challenges with a record of financial prudence and good management that put us in the best position we can to tackle the issues.
Years of the previous Tory Government's funding policies for local government have consistently worked against us and Crawley has suffered in particular.
We are hundreds of thousands of pounds down in real terms on what we receive annually, even compared to 14 years ago, despite inflation and an increase in population size. The Tories left Crawley at the bottom of the pile, that cannot be understated. And it is entirely unfair.
The Autumn budget announced an increase in Core Spending Power for councils and more needs based funding. This is welcome from the new Labour Government, because such targeting should benefit areas like Crawley with areas of deprivation more favourably.
At minimum a real-terms 3.2% boost for councils across England, a new £600 million Recovery Grant for areas like Crawley most in need, an increase to the Social Care Grant by £680 million, a new £250 million Children’s Social Care Prevention Grant and the repurposing of grants to deliver better outcomes for local people, including the most vulnerable.
Labour has also announced additional funding to support local government across a range of priorities, including special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and homelessness services, as well as funding for potholes.
This is all promising news for Crawley and West Sussex. Going forward, Labour’s plans to give councils multi-year settlements will ensure that we best use our resources to provide as much help to local people as possible. Councils have been crying out for sensible reforms like these– and now Labour will deliver where the Tories failed.
But it will not reverse all our problems in Crawley overnight, there are sadly still difficult choices ahead. It will take time for Labour to fix the foundations of a country that the Conservatives left broke and broken, but change has begun.