Helen Morgan raises Shropshire Council cuts with Minister in plea to change funding formula

MP Helen Morgan raised Shropshire’s potential tip closures in Parliament as she called on the Government to provide rural councils with fairer funding.

The North Shropshire MP asked the Local Government Minister to intervene and change the funding formula for rural local authorities, citing the financial chaos and £60 million cuts programme at Shropshire Council as an example of a council in chaos.

Shropshire Council’s leadership intends to make £62 million worth of cuts to services this year, having aimed to make £51 million last year. The cash-strapped local authority has announced a series of controversial proposals including bringing in green bin charges and closing two of the county’s five recycling centres.

Helen Morgan made a plea to the Minister to intervene and change the funding formula for rural councils or risk seeing them reduced to providing only the most basic services.

Helen Morgan, MP for North Shropshire, said, “I thank the Minister for his answer, but in Shropshire, we saw the council make 50 million pounds of cuts this year, we're being told 60 million next year to avoid a Section 114 notice, and local residents are particularly concerned about the closure, potentially, of recycling centres and the likely increase in fly tipping that we'd see across our beautiful countryside.

“Would the Minister agree that rural councils are in danger of delivering nothing more than statutory services if things continue? And would he consider adjusting the way that funding is allocated so that rural councils are given an amount which reflects the cost of delivering the services in their area?”

Simon Hoare MP, Minister for Local Government replied, “Well, she's right to point to the need to review the formula. That's a commitment for the next parliament.”