Bath and North East Somerset Council says it is pleased that Government ministers have listened to the views of local authorities and have agreed to provide transitional funding for the next two years to assist with changes to the grant settlement for local government.

Last December’s announcement on local government funding saw a larger reduction in Government grant than had been anticipated by the Council.

Cllr Charles Gerrish (Conservative, Keynsham North), Cabinet member for Finance and Efficiency, said: “Members of the Council’s Cabinet directly lobbied ministers in Westminster to secure a share of this additional funding, which we expect to be in the region of £930,000 per year for a period of two years.

“It is important to emphasise that this temporary funding does not affect the Council’s base budget position. Even with this additional support, the Council will still need to make £12 million of savings over the coming year, and a total of £43 million over the course of the next four years.

“Therefore we will continue to seek efficiencies and innovative ways to protect essential front line services.”

The Council says it will be looking at the potential impact of this transitional funding in more detail and considering the Government’s offer of a four year budget settlement once more details are provided.

The money will provide temporary financial support to the authority, whilst its departments adapt to new ways of delivering local services.

In January, B&NES’ Conservative leadership met with Government Ministers to spell out the difficult nature of the initial financial settlement announced in December.

B&NES Conservative Leader, Tim Warren, said this week: “It’s good to see that Ministers listened to the concerns we put to them last month about the difficult financial situation we face here in B&NES and have acted on these concerns. Obviously, this funding is only a one-off and represents a relatively small proportion of the total savings we still have to make, but any additional funding for our local area is always welcome news.

“This funding doesn’t reduce the longer-term savings that still need to be made in the years ahead, and due to its one-off nature, this money can’t be used to fund on-going commitments.

Local Conservative MP, Jacob Rees-Mogg, has also welcomed the news. He said: “I am delighted that the Government is giving this money to B&NES and fully support its decision.

“B&NES Council Leader, Cllr Tim Warren and Cllr Charles Gerrish, Cabinet Member for Finance and Efficiency, set out a strong case to the Government and have secured an excellent deal for the authority.

“Although the funding is a one-off payment ,it will take pressure off the Council and also enable it to provide more efficient and cost-effective local services in the future.”

Local Lib-Dems have accused the Conservatives of a lack of transparency leading up to crucial budget decisions, which were due to be decided as The Journal went to press. Cllr Dine Romero (Southdown), Leader of the Lib-Dems said last week: “This last-minute announcement is typical of the lack of transparency we have seen throughout this budget round.

“By pulling this rabbit out of their hat, the government hopes to distract local communities from the enormous cuts being imposed over the next four years. Indeed, this relatively small amount will do little to soften the impact of cuts coming to vital services, such as health.”

Councillor Andrew Furse (Kingsmead), Liberal Democrat spokesperson on Finance, added: “The Conservative government has been accused of buying-off Tory-run councils due, in part, to the numbers of their MPs pressuring David Cameron. Almost all of the transitional funding is being given to Conservative-run Councils. I can only assume that B&NES’ woefully inadequate transitional arrangements are a result of inadequate pressure from our MPs. It confirms that our Conservative-run council has no friends in Westminster.

“B&NES residents will still have to pay more and get less.”