There is no better time to sort out funding

摘要

When the Government announced councils should hold off on business rates billing until after the March Budget last week it became clear there is an announcement afoot. On the whole, most of the sector seems grateful for the heads-up, saved the time and effort of billing twice, but equally perplexed at a Government that keeps them in the dark on their finances, right up to the wire of the annual budget-setting. From the very start of the COVID crisis, council budgets have been hampered by a lack of central Government clarity. From the communities secretary back-tracking on his funding pledge to an 11th hour question mark over business rates income, finance directors have been expected to provide financial sustainability and stability amid short-term funding solutions. It is unsurprising. Central Government-caught in a spiral of uncertainty, throwing money at public services and propping up the economy in a desperate bid to hold the country together-is firefighting emergencies and grasping at short-term fixes.