Lib Dems persuade Government of Milton Keynes' need for more money

12.00.00am GMT Tue 30th Jan 2007

Lib Dem Council Leader, Isobel McCall, came away from the recent meeting with Ministers feeling that she had persuaded the Government of the special case for more money for Milton Keynes.

Following the meeting Isobel McCall said: "The Ministers said that Milton Keynes has a strong case for more funding for growth and they have agreed to look at a number of the suggestions we made. Tough it would have been wonderful to return to Milton Keynes with a brown envelope stuffed full of Government money, I believe we achieved the next best thing.

"They were particularly keen to look at the rules for some special grants where Milton Keynes is losing out although our population and economy are growing. They accepted that some of these rules act as a disincentive to growth. They also said that they want to meet us again."

The meeting with the Minister for Housing and Planning, Yvette Cooper and Local Government Minister, Phil Woolas, was held in Westminster on 23 January. Local MP, Phyllis Starkey, also attended the meeting at Isobel McCall's invitation. It was called as a direct result of demands by the Milton Keynes Council Leader.

Both the Liberal Democrat Leader and the Council's Chief Executive gave evidence to the Ministers of a number of ways that Government funding mechanisms disadvantage Milton Keynes. Whilst Ministers were not willing to look again at the so-called damping mechanism that means that Milton Keynes Council loses £6.5 million to other councils, they were willing to look at other aspects of the Council's funding.

Isobel McCall concluded: "Overall the meeting was very positive, with Ministers clearly willing to look for solutions for the funding challenges that the Council meets year after year."