Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has maintained that the government has put more money into funding local councils - but these claims were strongly rejected by Stockport councillors at a meeting on Thursday evening (January 11). 

In his visit to Marple last Friday (January 5), Prime Minister Rishi Sunak 'completely rejected' claims that council funding had been cut. 

Responding to a question from the BBC, Mr Sunak said: "Over the past few years, we've put more money into council funding - not just in the North West, but across the country."

He added: "[Local authorities] had around 10% more cash to spend this year than they had the year before. And, on top of that, we're investing directly into local communities."

Stockport Councillors noted with 'concern' funding for local authorities (Image - Alasdair Perry)

Although not responding directly to Mr Sunak's claims in Thursday's meeting, both Lib Dem and Labour councillors were, nonetheless, strongly critical of the government's funding of local authorities.

Cllr Jilly Julian, for example, described the Local Government Financial Settlement (which allocates funding for local authorities such as Stockport) as 'predictably disappointing'. 

"I feel compelled to do some myth-busting about the 'real terms increase in funding'", Cllr Julian said. 

"The 6.5 percent average increase that [the government] has quoted assumes every authority increases council tax by the maximum amount.

"That increased income accounts for more than half of the 'additional funding' that the secretary [for Levelling Up] is so generously making available."

Michael Gove, secretary of state for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities recently introduced a £64bn funding package for local authorities (Image - Conservatives)

Later in the evening, Cllr Christine Carrigan introduced a motion - seconded by Cllr Julian - which "[noted] with concern the indicative Local Government Settlement recently announced by the Conservative Government". 

Cllr Carrigan said: "We are now in a position where we are resorting to looking down the back of the sofa. [...]

"Instead of providing the fair funding that Stockport needs, the Conservatives have decided to make the situation worse, meaning we need to find many millions more - and that local residents are likely to be burdened with higher council tax."

In a similar vein, Cllr Rachel Wise referred to a "disdainful attitude towards local government shown by Westminster". 

"The council's ability to support this town, its people and its businesses, has been severely hampered by year after year of cuts to the local government settlement", Cllr Wise said. 

Further still, Cllr Dominic Hardwick referred to the settlement as "economic policy nothing short of vandalism. [...]

"Rishi Sunak's government is circling the drain, and now they have no compunction about dragging the rest of us with them."

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak met with Hazel Grove's Conservative parliamentary candidate, Paul Athans, as part of his Marple visit (Image - Conservatives)

Mr Sunak visited a cafe in Marple on Friday 5 January, as part of a sequence of northern visits. 

Speaking more generally on the aforementioned theme of local investment, the PM said in a statement to Nub News: "Every penny that was going to be spent on HS2 in the north is staying in the north [...]

"Importantly, it's going to go on the forms of transportation that people actually use more often, that can make more difference to their lives, quicker."

Paul Athans, Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Hazel Grove, said of the visit: "I believe passionately in closing the North / South divide, so it was hugely reassuring to have the PM visiting our constituency to reaffirm that same commitment to local residents.

"We need more housing, to protect our NHS, to make polluters pay, to build the M60-A6 bypass, to invest in our district centres, and to support our police to tackle the crimes that are most important to residents."

Other local politicians were more critical of Mr Sunak's comments. Cllr David Meller, leader of Stockport Labour Group, told Nub News: "I'm certainly not convinced all this money earmarked for HS2 will be spent to support the North, as that ridiculous announcement to fix London potholes as part of Network North demonstrated. 

"If the Prime Minister really wanted to put his money where his mouth is, he would work with colleagues to get Metrolink finally to Stockport, as well as address the state of Stockport station and the chronic capacity issues we have."

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