Cheshire East Council to seek up to £52m in government financial support

Cheshire East Council intends to request exceptional financial assistance from the government for the second consecutive year. The council, which approved a multimillion-pound cost-reduction strategy during the summer, is preparing to seek up to £31.4m in aid for the upcoming year and £23.7m for the subsequent year. Nick Mannion, the leader representing Labour, stated that these figures represented “very much worse case scenario”. The Local Government Association indicated its expectation that one in four local authorities will need emergency assistance over the forthcoming two financial years. Last year, Cheshire East Council requested £17.6m in exceptional financial support, but this amount has not yet been utilized. The government has directed the council to submit its request by 13 December. Mannion clarified that the sums being requested did not presuppose any outcomes from the forthcoming local government financial settlement, an arrangement that will determine the level of central funding councils are allocated and is anticipated in the coming weeks. Sam Corcoran, who previously served as the council’s leader, described exceptional financial support “as an overdraft facility”. Janet Clowes, the leader of the Conservative group, characterized the support as “a mortgage because they will be hanging over the head of this council for many decades to come”. Concurrently, Liberal Democrat leader Reg Kain expressed concern regarding the “ambiguity of the language used” within the report. He remarked, “I feel like I’m writing an open cheque.” The resolution received approval, with 43 councillors casting votes in favor, one against, and 24 abstentions.