How the Budget shabed up for councils

摘要

As with all Budgets, it is always best to first check your pockets to find out how much the Chancellor has lifted from them and second to scrutinise the small print. Last week's was no different. The first hit came an hour after George Osbome sat down when the LGA learned it had taken a ￡2m haircut from its top-sliced grant funding from the DCLG, effective from next month. Although local authorities have been spared further cuts to 2013/14 funding because the settlement has already been announced, the DCLG - as with other Whitehall departments - has to find a further 1%, hence the cut to the LGA's budget. How the LGA will find this level of savings within a fortnight is a key question.