Local Government Finance For Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council

EDM number 563 in 1994-95, proposed by Michael Clapham on 07/02/1995.

That this House expresses its grave concern at the Government's proposed 1995-96 local government finance settlement; notes in particular that the maximum expenditure limit for Barnsley is only 0.5 per cent. above the SSA level when the average tolerance above the SSA level for metropolitan districts is 4.5 per cent. and considers that Barnsley which has significant social and economic problems, arising in large from the Government's colliery closure programme, has been unfairly treated at a time when the authority is facing increased spending pressure in education caused by an increase, since 1990, of 58 per cent. in the number of school children entitled to free school meals, a 54 per cent. increase in the number of children eligible for a clothes grant and a growth in special needs education from 1.3 per cent. to 3.1 per cent. costing collectively an extra ú4.4 million added to a backlog of essential maintenance work on school buildings of ú12 million, and the position is worsened by Ministers reneging on previous assurances given that the funding of the Supertram project would be reflected in the SSA; considers the freeze in Barnsley's income will result in further reductions in community services causing an unacceptable deterioration in the quality of life of Barnsley people; and calls on Her Majesty's Government to give further sympathetic consideration to the financial difficulties faced by Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council.

This motion has been signed by a total of 54 MPs.