Tories hand millions to Surrey despite Croydon getting 17 times more cuts
Croydon’s two Tory MPs voted earlier this month to cut Croydon by £44m while handing a £24m funding boost to Surrey. They defended their actions claiming that Surrey had suffered bigger cuts than Croydon. But new analysis by Croydon North MP Steve Reed shows that Croydon has suffered SEVENTEEN TIMES MORE cuts than Surrey.
According to figures from the Department for Communities and Local Government, Croydon’s spending power will have fallen by £37.6m between 2010 and 2020, a reduction of £247 per household. The equivalent figure for Surrey is a fall of just £14 per household.
The additional money handed to Surrey is part of the Government’s £300m ‘cuts relief fund’. But instead of going to areas that have suffered the most cuts, the Tories have given 85% of the money to wealthier areas run by their own party that have suffered the LOWEST level of cuts since 2010. Only 5% of the funding went to Labour-run councils in more deprived areas.
The Government has told Croydon to clobber local residents with a 20% council tax hike to help plug the funding shortfall that results from Tory cuts.
Steve Reed MP said:
Croydon’s Conservative MPs voted to cut Croydon by £44m and hand an extra £24 million to Surrey even though Croydon has suffered cuts 17 times bigger than Surrey. There will be anger across our community when people realise their Tory MPs went to Parliament and voted to cut millions from Croydon so the money could be sent to Surrey which is far wealthier.
People elect MPs to stand up for them in Parliament, but Croydon’s two Tory MPs have chosen to stand up for leafy Surrey instead. When services in Croydon are shut, when council tax goes up, every resident in this borough will know that Gavin Barwell and Chris Philp are the two guilty men responsible.
Steven Reed is Labour MP for Croydon North and Shadow Minister for Children and Families. In 2018 his private member’s bill on reducing violent mental health restraint became law. In June 2019 he launched Labour’s civil society strategy outlining radical plans to empower citizens and communities.
Steve chairs the Cooperative Councils Innovation Network, co-chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group for London, was Leader of Lambeth Council 2006-12 where he led the council’s children’s services to become best-rated in the country and pioneered the public-health approach to tackling violent youth crime. He worked in publishing for 16 years and was an elected trade union branch secretary.