Leaders from all political groups on the county council have backed the Fairer Funding for Gloucestershire Campaign.
Group leaders came together on Full Council day to show a united, cross-party commitment to the campaign and its aims.
The campaign states that Gloucestershire has been short-changed for years, meaning funding arrangements fail to reflect the true cost of delivering services across a large and predominantly rural county.
Addressing councillors as part of the full council meeting itself, Leader of the Council, Cllr Lisa Spivey: “If you care as much as I do about fair funding for Gloucestershire then please sign the petition.’
She later added: ‘I am delighted our campaign has been backed by political leaders from different parties across Gloucestershire. It shows that we are all fighting together for the people of Gloucestershire.”
Cllr Piers Camp, Reform Group spokesperson, said: “Gloucestershire residents pay their taxes and rightly expect to see a fair share of national funding coming back to our county. This campaign is about standing up for local taxpayers and making sure Gloucestershire gets a fair deal from government. I’m very happy to support that.”
Cllr Beki Hoyland, Leader of the Green Group, said: “This is about making sure Gloucestershire has the funding it needs to protect the services our communities rely on and invest in their future. Whatever our political differences, we can agree that local people deserve a fair deal. That’s why I’m pleased to support the Fairer Funding for Gloucestershire campaign.”
Cllr Tom Bradley, Leader of the Conservative Group, said: “Gloucestershire taxpayers deserve a fair funding settlement from government. They rightly expect high-quality services and good value to the taxpayer. This is an issue that matters to communities right across our county, and I’m pleased to join other group leaders in making the case for Gloucestershire.”
Cllr Stuart Graham, Leader of the Independent Group, said: “People expect us to put Gloucestershire first and work together where we can. Fair funding is one of those issues. Our communities deserve the resources they need, and I’m pleased to stand alongside the other group leaders in calling for a fairer deal for our county.”
The petition calls on the Government to:
- Give Gloucestershire a fair funding settlement that properly recognises the higher cost of delivering services across a rural county.
- End the long-standing injustice in schools and SEND funding. Fund our children properly and write off the full historic deficit.
- Invest properly in Gloucestershire’s roads, with enough funding to tackle the existing backlog of £90m and the annual £15 million gap in the maintenance fund to prevent it growing again.
- Pay the costs of Local Government Reorganisation and quickly provide clarity on what happens next, rather than saddling Gloucestershire taxpayers with an estimated £22 million bill and leaving local communities and councils in limbo.
- Act now on social care, providing immediate meaningful reform and funding that reflects inflation and rising demand, so no-one is left behind.
To find out more and sign the campaign go to Fairer Funding for Gloucestershire campaign.