Money Money Money

The government announced today how much money it will give to local authorities next year. The way it is presented is by adding all the grants together to describe the "spending power" of councils. But of course some of the new money - such as the Better Care Fund of £18m for the county - brings with it new responsbilities.

The government has given more money to specific grants such as adult social care, but cut general funding. With the Better Care money Cambs County has an increase of 1.5% of spending power, without it, The County says its a cut of about 3%. But generally the County has done ok.

South Cambs has also done ok and is in a good place for three reasons: because it has a revenue stream that started a few years back of buying houses and renting them out for local people. This reduces dependency on what the govt hands out. Secondly, it started making savings well before the budgets were seriously cut. But the final reason is that district councils don't have to provide the difficult services such as adult social care.

Whittlesford Parish Council has frozen its precept.