"A government that shares our priorities": Mayor of Hackney responds to Autumn Budget

Mayor of Hackney Caroline Woodley responds to today's Autumn Budget:

After 14 years of central government-imposed austerity, today we saw the Chancellor of the new administration – the first woman to hold this office in the UK – present a Budget that starts to reverse the chronic underfunding of public services and the brutal cuts that have left our core spending power reduced by 40% since 2010.

In these tough times, we understand that a single budget could never overcome the huge financial challenges that mean Hackney Council faces a £36m shortfall this year alone. 

However, today we have seen proof of a government that shares our priorities, knows the value of public services and wants to invest in our communities. That is clear in the additional funding for housing, tackling homelessness, addressing poverty, investing in the NHS, supporting social care, and driving ahead with reform.

The Chancellor has today demonstrated that the national government is listening seriously to the calls made by local authorities across the country. The real-terms funding increase for the sector to aid the delivery of essential services is a welcome reprieve.

In terms of my priorities for Hackney, in addressing housing and homelessness, the reductions in right to buy discounts and allowing councils to retain the receipts from sales of homes are key measures which local government, including Hackney, has spent years calling for. These are the first steps in empowering councils to build the next generation of council homes, maintain our existing homes, and ensure a safe, secure and affordable place to live for all of our residents. 

I’m committed to tackling the poverty divide that cuts through our borough, and I know that the increase in the National Minimum Wage will make a huge difference to Hackney residents who are in work but on low incomes. With the extension of the Household Support Fund through next year, and additional funding for Discretionary Housing Payments and Carer’s Allowance, today’s Budget takes concrete steps to support people with the cost of living, delivering meaningful change to Hackney residents who need it most. 

I have constantly made calls for greater support for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). When a council like Hackney has been left facing holding a £20m deficit in SEND there was simply no room for further drift. The £1bn funding injection announced today is a clear indication of the new government gripping the issue and upholding the commitment to work with local government in driving the change that is desperately needed.

I’m also committed to tackling climate change and will look to the government to bring new green jobs to Hackney residents, as they drive growth in delivering the mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower.

We know more must be done to tackle the hole in local government finances, and that we have to take really tough decisions to balance our budget. There is no escaping the fact that in Hackney, as is the case for so many people across the country, we need to prepare for reduced services in some areas, to protect the frontline serving our most vulnerable residents.

However, we now have a government willing to also invest, reform and work with, not against councils. We will work together in the run up to the provisional settlement before Christmas, and the long awaited multi-year spending review in the spring, to reach a sustainable solution which empowers us to deliver for Hackney.