Councillors working with MPs to lobby for more funding

Councillors say they are working with Herefordshire’s MPs to lobby central government for more funding for the county.

Hinton and Hunderton ward member Chris Chappell asked council leader Jonathan Lester to write to the government to amend legislation allowing the council to draw down further funding.

Speaking at the full council meeting last week, he said: “The local authority is obliged to set an annual budget, which takes little account for future planning by parish councils or community groups.

“Will the leader write to the government, to amend the Local Government Finance Act 1992, to allow rural unitary local authorities, like Herefordshire, to set an element of its budget that will assist parish councils and community groups over a three or five year period to draw down further funding for projects of benefit to rural communities?”

Leader Jonathan Lester confirmed the council was working to secure better funding.

“We continue to work closely with our local government colleagues and the county’s MPs, to lobby for a fair funding allocation for the county,” he said.

“Parish councils of course have the freedom to set their own precept and are not subject to the same limitations that we as the principle authority are in terms of the level of precept they may set without holding a referendum.

“This enables parish councils to support activity to meet local needs, whether through direct commissioning of services for their area, collective purchasing by working with neighbouring or likeminded parish councils, or by supporting community activity and groups in their own areas.”