At
the end of last year Labour said it had provided Bexley with a bigger grant.
Bexley Council’s Leader put out a statement to the contrary. Smoke and Mirrors he said but
the figures he supplied did not to my mind prove his point; although a reader’s message lent him some support.
Labour’s Fair Funding is replacing the legacy funding of old in Bexley and elsewhere.
That is where you see the
£43.3 million in 2026/27
in the published table. Legacy Funding disappears. The big question is how much will Bexley have if it increases Council Tax by the
maximum and receives the Government’s newly announced cash.
In essence you will see year on year an increase of around £9 million both before
Fair Funding and afterwards. And that is dependent on Council Tax going up by the maxim allowed.
So essentially there is no new money tree. David Leaf is correct and our Labour MP is
making an absurd claim.
I was not alone in not following the argument fully. @tonyofsidcup was confused too.
On the same day that the issue was last reported here, 22nd December, @tony wrote
to the Council Leader asking for a simpler explanation. "What am I missing?
Where are the Labour cuts?" Two weeks later and @tony has heard nothing. You
would think Councillor Leaf would be pleased to explain further how he is right
and Labour is wrong. But apparently not. Labour is probably fibbing, they
usually are, but it would be nice to be more sure.