Anglia Late Edition - February 2019

Anglia Late Edition is the regional politics programme for the East of England presented by political correspondent Emma Hutchinson

Many councils in the Anglia region are facing cuts in their spending power as householders face council tax bills outstripping inflation.

Anglia Late Edition discussed the Government's financial settlement with local authorities in the East of England which reveals big winners and losers across the area.

  • Click below to watch the Anglia Late Edition programme broadcast on Thursday 7 February 2019

This week the government announced that core spending by local councils in the Anglia region would rise by 2.9% in 2019-20 from £5.8 billion to £5.9 billion.

Council spending power will rise by £168 million but 18 councils will see a drop in funding while others will see rises that fail to keep up with the cost of rising prices.

18 councils in the Anglia region are facing a drop in spending power in 2019-20. Credit: ITV Anglia

Councils in the Anglia region face a drop in funding

  • Huntingdonshire Council - down 4.0%

  • Gt Yarmouth Borough Council - down 3.1%

  • East Cambs Council - down 2.6%

  • King’s Lynn & West Norfolk Council - down 2.5%

  • Stevenage Borough Council - down 2.2%

  • Norwich City Council - down 1.7%

  • Tendring District Council - down 1.7%

  • Northampton Borough Council - down 1.4%

  • East Northants Council - down 1.1%

  • South Kesteven Council - down 1.1%

  • Breckland District Council - down 0.9%

  • South Holland Council - down 0.9%

  • Wellingborough Council - down 0.9%

  • Babergh District Council - down 0.9%

  • Northamptonshire County Council - down 0.8%

  • Fenland District Council - down 0.7%

  • Cambridge City Council - down 0.3%

  • South Cambs Council - down 0.2%

The councils in the Anglia region which will see the largest rises in core spending power are: Chelmsford (up 7.2%), Daventry (up 7.2%), South Northamptonshire (up 6.4%) and Rutland and Cambridgeshire County Councils (both up 5.7%).

Residents in Northamptonshire face a council tax rise of 5% - well above inflation - after the council face bankruptcy not once by twice in the past years.

Government appointed commissioners were sent in to help sort out the financial mess and the council is due to be abolished next year.

An awkward handshake in Brussels as Theresa May meets European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker. Credit: ITV News

Emma Hutchinson was joined in the studio by three politicians from the Anglia region.

They discussed the problems of funding local councils and the services they provide as well as the latest developments on Brexit as Theresa May was in Brussels in an attempt to re-open negotiations on the EU withdrawal agreement.

Emma Hutchinson was joined on Anglia Edition by Jonathan Djanogly MP (Con), Clive Lewis MP (Lab) and Baroness Sal Brinton (Lib Dem) Credit: ITV Anglia

  • Jonathan Djanogly is the Conservative MP for Huntingdon and serves on the Commons Select Committee onExiting the European Union

  • Clive Lewis is the Labour MP for Norwich South and is a Shadow Treasury Minister.

  • Baroness Sal Brinton is the President of the Liberal Democrats and once served as a Cambridgeshire County Councillor.

On Friday it will be 49 days before the UK is due to leave the European Union.