Analysis: Conservative councils turn screw on Cameron and Osborne

Plans to allow councils to raise taxes to pay for social care are evidence Conservative leadership beginning to feel heat from their local government colleagues.
George Osborne announces his review of Government spending on WednesdayGeorge Osborne announces his review of Government spending on Wednesday
George Osborne announces his review of Government spending on Wednesday

Warnings of dire consequences from the squeeze on council finances are not new.

Over the last couple of years when I’ve spoken to any council leader about their authority’s financial position for more than a few minutes they’ve mentioned the “graph of doom” - the stark image showing that on current trends the demand for those essential services protecting children and caring for older people will exceed the resources available to fund them by the end of the decade.

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Of course, when you are in Government it is easier to ignore those complants when they are being aired by your political opponents.

While Conservative council leaders have previously been among those raising concerns, there has been a noticeable cranking up of their public rhetoric in recent months.

David Cameron recently found himself in an embarassing public confrontation with the Conservative-run Oxfordshire County Council covering his Witney constituency over cutbacks.

In the past couple of weeks alone, North Yorkshire County Council leader Carl Les has spoken out both about the financial impact of the new national living wage on his authority and the need to find new resources to support adult social care.

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Despite their professed commitment to local decision making, Messrs Cameron and Osborne have both previously stuck ridgidly to their position that council tax bills should not be allowed to rise by more than two per cent a year (it should be remembered too that Labour went into the election also promising to maintain the council tax cap).

But the expected announcement on Wednesday that councils will now be allowed to breach that cap if the money goes into social care suggests the dire warnings from Conservative council leaders are starting to be heard in Downing St.