Bedford Borough Council’s budget plans were defeated last night in an 18-16 vote, with 11 abstentions, forcing the administration back to the drawing board. Mayor Tom Wootton later warned that the decision “carries serious risks”.
The budget was blocked at Full Council last night (Wednesday) following a heated debate in which the council’s finance portfolio holder, cllr Marc Frost (Conservative), insisted the budget was “sound and prudent”.
“It’s been shaped with engagement from peer authorities who have faced similar pressures,” he said, “It’s been overseen by an external assurance panel supported by the improvement board.
“This is a budget built with professional challenge, independent scrutiny and external oversight. It’s a very, very disciplined way of dealing with our finances.
“I urge members to think very, very carefully about the consequences of [their] vote tonight,” he said.
Read: Bedford Borough Council faces £59 million funding gap up to 2030
Reliance on government
However, opposition members questioned whether the administration could realistically deliver the savings required.
Concerns were also raised about the council’s reliance on government-approved Exceptional Financial Support (EFS), with critics warning that borrowing to balance the books could leave residents paying the cost for years.
Cllr Doug McMurdo (Independent) compared the approach to “remortgaging to go on a Caribbean cruise,” arguing the authority was borrowing simply to postpone deeper problems.
The Labour Group leader, cllr Abu Sultan, said his group could not support the budget but chose to abstain, describing it as a “conscious and responsible choice” rather than “fence-sitting.”
“We recognise that with government support in place, the council can be its statutory duties, but meeting the legal minimum is not the same as putting this council on solid and sustainable ground for the future,” he said.
“That is the difference; this budget does not fix the problem. It gets the council through another year, it pushes the hardest decisions further down the road.
“We cannot vote for a budget we do not believe is strong enough, but nor will we pretend that voting against a lawful budget is a serious answer to the financial challenges we face.
“Some will choose to vote against this budget, that may sound bold, it may look decisive, but opposing a budget without a credible, deliverable, alternative alternative does not fix broken finances. It simply avoids responsibility,” he said.
Read: Balanced Bedford Borough Council budget only possible with Government emergency financial support
The Liberal Democrat finance spokesperson, cllr Michael Headley, said the “one fundamental overarching and fatal problem” with the budget is that the plans “don’t work”.
“What is before [us] today is simply not credible. Passing a budget that doesn’t even superficially include a plan to address the problem will hasten the inevitable government intervention.
“A cynic might think the whole aim of these plans is to push the problem until after the next election – do enough to take the boxes to get the government to agree the bailout for a couple of years, then it’s someone else’s problem.
“Well, we’re not falling for that,” he said.
Cllr Ben Foley said the Green Group is not going to support a budget where “far too much money goes to external profit-making providers”.
“A budget with 180 redundancies while senior staff continue to be grossly overpaid,” the councillor said, “Many senior staff do a really good job, but the balance between public service and personal reward is wrong.
“Cllr Frost has claimed that consultation has been meaningful, but much of what really needs to be done was never on the table. It was never up for debate.
“Yes, he’s been willing to listen to tinkering around the edges, but that isn’t where the budget is wrong.”
Prior to the meeting, Bedford’s mayor had warned councillors that failure to approve the council’s new budget could mean unelected government officials running the council, according to a leaked letter.
Read: Mayor’s leaked letter offers stark warning if budget isn’t approved
Following the meeting mayor Tom Wootton said: “I am deeply disappointed that the council’s budget has been voted down tonight by just two votes.
“This was a lawful, viable budget, shaped through months of engagement and supported by independent professional advice. The decision taken this evening carries serious risks.
“Failure to set a budget places the council in an extremely precarious position and increases the likelihood of Government intervention, with decisions taken out of local hands.
“This was never about party politics. It was about responsibility, stability, and doing the right thing for Bedford Borough.
The administration will now need to return with revised proposals to set a legally balanced budget, with the next planned Full Council meeting scheduled for February 25.
By John Guinn, Local Democracy Reporter
Additional reporting by Paul Hutchinson, Bedford Independent
