Call to ringfence funds from district councils

MP SAYS FUNDS FROM SOUTH HAMS AND WEST DEVON MUST NOT END UP PAYING DEBTS ELSEWHERE

- By ALISON STEPHENSON Local Democracy Reporter

Rebecca Smith, MP for South West Devon

(PARLIAMENT TV)

A LOCAL MP is calling for any surplus funds held by district councils when they are abolished under the local government shakeup to be ringfenced for communities.

Rebecca Smith, Conservative MP for South West Devon, which includes part of Plymouth, South Hams and West Devon, is asking the government to put a policy in place to make sure that surplus funds are "protected" and do not get used to pay off debts within the new unitary authorities.

She said local residents and council leaders had raised concerns that their communities could lose out financially under the proposed changes.

Under local government reorganisation plans, Devon's 11 councils made up of unitaries, county council and district councils will no longer exist but be replaced by large authorities covering hundreds of thousands of residents and responsible for all local services.

Miss Smith raised questions about local government finance in the House of Commons but said the minister's responses had failed to give a definitive answer on whether council surpluses would be ringfenced for local communities.