Leicestershire highlights good financial management

Although poor funding remains the Achilles heel of local government, Leicestershire County Council’s annual delivery report highlights good financial management and a range of achievements across the last year.

The document, sets out progress over the last 12 months, warns that remaining the lowest funded county in the country will hamper the delivery of services and council tax levels, if unaddressed. Among the progress achievements, the council recognises a drop of 12 per cent in carbon emissions and a fall of 16 per cent in waste production.

The county council has employed 196 apprentices, 62 more than the previous year, and has seen 100 per cent of its special schools rated good or outstanding and more young people leaving care are in education, employment or training.Fun

Byron Rhodes, deputy council leader, said: “Every day, we deliver services that transform lives, boost businesses, enable people to recycle, and much more. By planning ahead and taking tough decisions, we’ve saved £210 million since 2010 and I’m pleased this report underlines sound financial management and that we’re delivering services well.

“Our fair funding campaign has secured a review. And being ranked the most productive council three years in a row shows that we’re continuing to get bang for our buck. But if funding is levelled up, we can do even more for our residents. Growing demand for services is putting our budget under greater strain. That’s why having a longer-term solution to local government finance is essential and we’ll continue to press for change.”