Council's letter to Chancellor: 'Don't take more of our money away'

Last month, the council warned this winter will bring “major pressures”, particularly on social care.

The authority, which is run by a Lib-Dem, Green and Labour alliance, estimates it needs to make savings of around £50m by the end of next year.

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The council also said that all local authorities faced “significant increases in inflation” that are driving up costs and price increases in energy, fuel and materials. 

Councillor Liz Leffman said: “I am writing to you today to share our experience in Oxfordshire and to ask you not to levy further spending cuts on local government but instead to help us to support essential local services at a time when our residents will need them most.

“Local authorities like Oxfordshire and local taxpayers bore the brunt of the largest cuts in any departmental spending area.

“This means that our budgets in Oxfordshire have already been cut to the bone. And yet, prior to your statement, we are already looking at very significant further cuts.

“We do not have the resources to repair our roads or maintain our cycle-paths, pavement and bridges to the level we know residents expect and we want.

“We will have to ask some of our residents to pay more for services they depend on at a time when their households are facing huge cost pressures.

“We may have to postpone maintenance and look at other short-term saving measures to make the books balance, even though we know it may cost us more in the long-run. These are not choices we want to make.

“The cuts in central government funding over the last decade show that local government has been seen as the last priority in funding allocations.

“Yet local government is on the frontline of service delivery, day in, day out through our social workers, our teachers, our public health professionals, our road builders and our social care workers.

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“The Prime Minister has said that the financial burdens of the next few years should fall on those most able to bear them.

“I am pleading with you to recognise that these are not the 6,300 adults Oxfordshire County Council supports every day through residential care.

“They are not the 891 children Oxfordshire County Council is looking after because it is not safe or suitable for them to remain at home.

“We are proud to care for our most vulnerable residents but it takes money as well as the skill of our professional teams to do this. Please, please do not take more of that money away.”

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This story was written by Anna Colivicchi, she joined the team this year and covers health stories for the Oxfordshire papers. 

Get in touch with her by emailing: Anna.colivicchi@newsquest.co.uk

Follow her on Twitter @AnnaColivicchi