This Council believes that the government’s economic policies and funding regimes endemically disadvantage cities in the Midlands and North to the benefit of rural and suburban areas in the South.

The Council calls on the government to make fairer the way it allocates funding to Councils by:

-  restoring the needs criteria to the grant settlement

-  abolishing the new homes bonus and restoring the 'top slice' to the basic rate support grant

-  repealing the changes to the Council tax support system

-  to urgently re-evaluate business rates

in order to address this unfairness.

It further calls on the government to implement a series of measures in the Heseltine Report and Core Cities report, Competitive Cities, Prosperous People: A Core Cities Prospectus for Growth, including:

-  establishing a regional banking system to share the risk of infrastructure investment risk with local authorities and to help investment in small businesses

-  in addition to HS2, better transport links between cities with transport budgets devolved to regions

-  devolution of powers over funding for infrastructure, skills and economic and business development

-  a far less London centric approach to major government project funding

in order to rebalance the economy for the benefit not just of the regions outside of the South East but for the UK as a whole.

Moved by Councillor Graham Chapman, seconded by Councillor Steve Battlemuch:

“This Council believes that the government’s economic policies and funding regimes endemically disadvantage cities in the Midlands and North to the benefit of rural and suburban areas in the South.

The Council calls on the government to make fairer the way it allocates funding to Councils by:

-  restoring the needs criteria to the grant settlement

-  abolishing the new homes bonus and restoring the 'top slice' to the basic rate support grant

-  repealing the changes to the Council tax support system

-  to urgently re-evaluate business rates

in order to address this unfairness.

It further calls on the government to implement a series of measures in the Heseltine Report and Core Cities report, Competitive Cities, Prosperous People: A Core Cities Prospectus for Growth, including:

-  establishing a regional banking system to share the risk of infrastructure investment risk with local authorities and to help investment in small businesses

-  in addition to HS2, better transport links between cities with transport budgets devolved to regions

-  devolution of powers over funding for infrastructure, skills and economic and business development

-  a far less London centric approach to major government project funding

in order to rebalance the economy for the benefit not just of the regions outside of the South East but for the UK as a whole.”

Moved by Councillor Georgina Culley by way of an amendment and seconded by Councillor Roger Steel to:

“After ‘This Council’ DELETE:

‘believes that the government’s economic policies and funding regimes endemically disadvantage cities in the Midlands and North to the benefit of rural and suburban areas in the South.

The Council calls on the government to make fairer the way it allocates funding to Councils by:

-  restoring the needs criteria to the grant settlement

-  abolishing the new homes bonus and restoring the 'top slice' to the basic rate support grant

-  repealing the changes to the Council tax support system

-  to urgently re-evaluate business rates

in order to address this unfairness.

It further

AMENDED MOTION TO READ:

This Council calls on the government to implement a series of measures in the Heseltine Report and Core Cities report, Competitive Cities, Prosperous People: A Core Cities Prospectus for Growth, including:

-  establishing a regional banking system to share the risk of infrastructure investment risk with local authorities and to help investment in small businesses

-  in addition to HS2, better transport links between cities with transport budgets devolved to regions

-  devolution of powers over funding for infrastructure, skills and economic and business development

-  a far less London centric approach to major government project funding

-  in order to rebalance the economy for the benefit not just of the regions outside of the South East but for the UK as a whole.”

After discussion, the amendment was put to the vote and was not carried.

RESOLVED to carry the substantive motion as follows:

“This Council believes that the government’s economic policies and funding regimes endemically disadvantage cities in the Midlands and North to the benefit of rural and suburban areas in the South.

The Council calls on the government to make fairer the way it allocates funding to Councils by:

-  restoring the needs criteria to the grant settlement

-  abolishing the new homes bonus and restoring the 'top slice' to the basic rate support grant

-  repealing the changes to the Council tax support system

-  to urgently re-evaluate business rates

in order to address this unfairness.

It further calls on the government to implement a series of measures in the Heseltine Report and Core Cities report, Competitive Cities, Prosperous People: A Core Cities Prospectus for Growth, including:

-  establishing a regional banking system to share the risk of infrastructure investment risk with local authorities and to help investment in small businesses

-  in addition to HS2, better transport links between cities with transport budgets devolved to regions

-  devolution of powers over funding for infrastructure, skills and economic and business development

-  a far less London centric approach to major government project funding

in order to rebalance the economy for the benefit not just of the regions outside of the South East but for the UK as a whole.”