What’s that coming over the hill? That big thing that few people are talking about. That, oh that’s just hundreds and hundreds of millions more in council funding cuts, set to slam everybody, but particularly kids’ services and those who need help most.
The £1bn in savings will come next year, said council chiefs last week. They announced this with a cheery ‘the worst is yet to come’ message.
None of this is really a surprise, of course. We’ve seen the hollowing-out of local services for years now. However, the fact that it’s going to get worse is chilling. In normal times, there might be governmental action. But in our post-austerity Brexit-neverland this information passes by with barely a glance.
Is the solution putting up council taxes to plug the gap? No, surely not. I mean, who wants to be clobbered with MORE taxes? That’s a big fat no-no.
But hold on there. The number of Britons who want increased levels of taxes to spend and help grow the economy has doubled since 2010. According to the British Social Attitudes survey, 60 per cent of Britons say they’re for higher taxes. That’s the highest it’s been for 15 years, since the New Labour machine was showing the positive side of governmental investment.
This may come as a surprise. In the teeth of a financial superstorm of uncertainty, there is a desire to give away more income.