South Lakeland councillors have clashed in a debate about finances.

Cllr Giles Archibald, leader of South Lakeland Council, ticked off the opposition Tories for not supporting its financial plans.
He told the Tory benches that he was ‘disappointed’ that they had abstained en masse during two ‘critical’ votes.

Every Conservative member on the SLDC benches abstained during votes on the council’s financial plan for 2021-25 and its revenue and capital budgets.

The plans were carried by the Liberal Democrat majority voting unanimously in support, backed by Labour councillors.
Cllr Archibald, who leads the cabinet, told the Conservatives: “I am disappointed that some members of the council abstained on two critical votes.

“Not only am I disappointed that you abstained but you didn’t explain why you were abstaining. Is there something you feel we are not doing?”

Cllr John Holmes, the shadow portfolio holder for finance, said the council had ‘considerable outstanding debts’ owed to it, which ‘dated back years’.

He asked to be told how the council managed debts and was told that they were regularly reviewed by officers.
Finance managers agreed to provide a written response to explain its policies.

Cllr Archibald said the council was ‘financially sound’ which allowed it to help the community. 

“Through our grants programme, we have distributed close to £1.4 million on over 100 community projects over the last six years.

“That’s an enormous amount of money and we didn’t have to do it. You can’t help but be impressed by the things that we have done,” said Cllr Archibald, the Liberal Democrat councillor for Kendal Town. 

SLDC collects £81 million in council and £43 million in business rates.

The council tax is shared and non-domestic rates go to central Government and are then redistributed.

The council’s car parks made a £103,000 surplus in 2018-19 due to ‘high demand’ over the hot summer, and also saved £109,000 in salaries due to ‘vacancy management’.

The council’s ‘useable’ reserves stand at £16.4 million.

Cllr Matt Severn criticised the Conservative government for its failure to launch a four-year spending review to set out how councils should be funded in the next decade.

Cllr Severn, the Liberal Democrat for Kendal West, said: “There is less than a year to 2020 and we have no idea how the Government proposes to assist councils in their funding. It’s an absolute disgrace.”