The latest Newsline in Wallasey, being delivered by Councillor Lesley Rennie and the team, focusses on the Council's latest budget crisis and two independent reviews into how it happened.
Of the 333 councils in England, Wirral was one of nine that was unable to balance the budget this year, as required by law. The Council sought additional cash from the Government, who agreed, but required two independent reviews first to find out why:
- A review into how councillors have made the decisions that led to this situation
- A review into the council's financial management of the money it receive
More information on these can be found here
During a briefing given to all councillors, it was made crystal clear that Wirral actually does well for grants from the Government - receiving £758 per head of population extra, on top of money collected locally in Council Tax, Business Rates and other charges and fees for services.
As well as the reviews, there was also further criticism of the way in which the Council has been run:
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Government Minister Kemi Badenoch said she believes Labour's Leader in Wirral has not 'fully acknowledged or perhaps even understood' the situation
- The Council's auditors Grant Thornton said they were 'not satisfied that the council put in place proper arrangements to secure economy, efficiency and effectiveness in its use of resources'
Our latest newsletter in Wallasey reports on these issues, as well as our plan for fixing the Council's budget problems.