Council cuts are hitting families in Yorkshire much harder than the Government claims, says a local authority lobby group.
Local councils, such as Kirklees and Calderdale, could lose twice as much per household than official estimates, claims the Special Interest Group of Municipal Authorities (SIGOMA).
The Government said that urban councils in England would lose £80 per household but SIGOMA says that when funding reserved for community and public health services is removed, the cut is as big as £162.
Official figures suggest that Yorkshire and Humberside councils had lost 2.6% of their funding for core services, but latest figures calculated by SIGOMA show a reduction of 7.3%.
Councils in the South East will be much better off compared with Yorkshire and Humberside.
Kirklees has already embarked on a major cost-cutting process and aims to save more than £60m from its reduced budget.
Many hundreds of jobs are to go and services ranging from libraries and music lessons are at risk of serious cutbacks.
A SIGOMA spokesman said councils looking after some of the poorest communities faced the biggest reduction in their spending power.
The Local Government Association has already warned that in 2015 some councils could reach “breaking point”.
Many councils fear they may not being able to provide essential services such as adult social care, children services and bin collections, said the spokesman.
Sir Steve Houghton CBE, chairman of SIGOMA and leader of Barnsley Council, said “The Government continues to penalise councils trying to serve some of the most vulnerable people in the country.
“Whilst claiming to be giving a ‘fair’ settlement the Government has shown complete disregard for the mounting pressure faced by those councils and the pain it is causing their residents.”
SIGOMA represents 45 local authorities across England including Kirklees and Calderdale. It represents a total population of 13 million and is part of the Local Government Association.
