COUNCILLORS are seeking urgent talks with government ministers after being dealt a hefty cut.

Barrow Borough Council met last night to discuss the implications of the 15.1 per cent cut that is being imposed on it by central government over the next four years.

Government figures have revealed that Barrow Borough Council is one of the councils that will be worst hit by the new funding formula.

In the last four years, Barrow Borough Council had its funding cut by £16.2m and is now set to battle further austerity.

Opening the debate, leader of the council Dave Pidduck said: “The council notes that once again central government has hit hardest councils with small tax bases and high levels of social need.

“Next year the people of the Borough of Barrow in Furness will have the biggest cut in funding of any area in the country while affluent areas in the south of England get big increases to their funding.”

Councillor Ann Burns added: “This is not the first time we have been hit. This is happening more and more and it’s places like Barrow with big working class areas and high deprivation that are hardest hit.

“The government has got the finances of this country so, so wrong.”

She continued: “We’ve got people going to foodbanks which is a disgrace. We’ve got the bedroom tax which is pushing people out of their houses or meaning they can no longer afford to live.

“The politics of this government is hurting the people of Barrow.”

Councillor Pidduck said: “People in Barrow are using foodbanks and these are people who are working. They are not scroungers – they are honest, hard-working people.”

However, Councillor Dave Roberts believes the council must take into account the difference in living costs between the north and the south and says that Barrow is on the eve of a bright future.

He said: “The north west has a faster economic growth than anywhere else in the country.

“Employment for young people is going up dramatically and apprenticeships are being offered right across the board.

“This means the growth of businesses and business premises so the long-term wealth of this council is going to grow and is going to grow dramatically.”

However, Councillor Sean Harkin, responded: “The economy is looking good and is going to improve in the future but there are problems with social deprivation in this area now.

“We have wanted to address it before but all these cuts have made it difficult.

“I would ask people to put party politics aside and put the people of Barrow first and say to their bosses in Westminster that we have been hit far too much for far too long.”