We won't borrow to fix roads, Buckinghamshire County Council says

Councillor David Shakespeare said interest costs would further cripple Buckinghamshire County Council and said: ‘We need to live within our means’.

He spoke after council transport boss Councillor Valerie Letheren said £120m was needed to restore the county’s roads, including potholes left by the recent snow.

But Cllr Shakespeare, the council’s leader, was reluctant to borrow, she said.

Today Conservative Cllr Shakespeare defended his stance. He told councillors probing budget cuts: “The more we borrow the more worse our situation gets.”

Saying budgets including transformation would be ‘combed the hardest’, he said: “Borrow £10m and look for another £1m cuts in frontline services.”

He said: “It is your children who will be paying it back instead of saying ‘we need to live within our means’.”

But Councillor Michael Brand said Bucks is “crying out” for the cash.

Yesterday the council announced it was spending £2m on repairing potholes.

The leader was speaking at the second day of a committee’s probe into spending cuts at the council, which, along with other public authorities, is facing a major squeeze on finances.

Cllr Shakespeare said: “Whilst every member of the public would love to pay half the council tax and provide double the services, that simply isn’t possible.”

Costs were going up because more children were being taken into council care after the Baby P scandal, he said, and the council was required to do this by law.

‘Difficult’ children were costly, he said. “I’m sure the public will be absolutely amazed that some of these children are costing us and our taxpayers £200,000 to £250,000 a year.”

And Cllr Shakespeare said the council could have to pay more costs towards old peoples’ homes under Government reforms.

At the moment OAPs pay for their own care until their savings reach £23,000, then the council helps. He said: “That could cost up to an astronomical £27m to £28m on our budget.”

Yet this creates a ‘dilemma’ as BCC may not wish to pay for an expensive home when it starts contributing or takes over costs, he said.

Cllr Shakespeare said this was the council’s biggest budget so was likely to be hit.

Residents’ standard of living will be hit in the years to come and BCC would not ‘increase that burden’ with the council tax. Tories propose a two per cent rise, about an extra £22.

About 100 council jobs had gone this year with at least 400 to go in coming years, he added.

The council was ‘betting the farm’ on reforming how staff work to save cash, he said.

After he left, councillors gave his views a mixed response. Councillor Adrian Busby said there is a ‘steady hand on the tiller’ while Cllr Paul Rogerson said he is a ‘good leader’.

But Councillor David Polhill says “one the reasons we are in this mess we are in now” is BCC didn't save enough.

See the links below for our live blog from the meeting and more pothole stories.