Lancashire County Council Waste: Eliminating The £7m Budget Deficit

What Is Happening?

Lancashire County Council’s projected budget deficit for the 2025/26 financial year is £7.814m.

LCC’s financial situation is already poor. Adding £7m+ more debt will only make things worse.

More debt means more interest payments, more cuts to services and more of a mess.

 

Where’s all the money going?

My recent post about £720k on refugee translation services is the tip of the iceberg of wasteful spending.

Tender examples that appear to have much room for savings include:

£5.8m per year – East Lancashire substance misuse services

£4.8m per year – sexual health services

£3.9m per year – technical consultancy

£3m per year – substance misuse detox and rehab services

£2.4m per year – ‘Smokefree Lancashire’

£2m per year – more sexual health services

£2m per year – ‘Bikeability’ bicycle training

£1.7m per year – catering management system

£1.2m per year (up to) – young people’s substance misuse and treatment services

£555k per year – employee screening service

£130k per year – supply of ergonomic chairs

£100k-£220k per year – prison buddy service

 

Where Does All The Money Come From?

Ultimately, all of us.

Most of our Council Tax payments go to LCC.

Some of the personal and corporations tax and VAT that goes to HMRC then goes to the Government, then some is sent to County Councils, with strings attached.

The Government and County Councils also borrow vast sums we can’t afford, which ultimately we and our children will have to pay back.

How Can We Reduce Spending?

I am not suggesting that all of these services are cut entirely.

Even if the County Council decided to do so and was legally able to, severing these contracts before they finish, many of which will last for years, could be more costly than keeping them, depending on the terms of the contracts.

Some money we receive can only spend on certain things and can’t spend on anything else, tying LCC’s hands.

However it’s clear that the County Council is spending vast sums of money and that there is huge scope to reduce the deficit and start paying down the debt, so we can all pay less Council tax, and if this is done across the country, we can all pay less tax.

Despite these challenges, if Councillors are willing, there’s much that can be done to eliminate the deficit before Reform UK are in Government.

Labour and the Tories have had their chances, they have both failed. The nation and LCC is a mess, it’s time for Reform.

Once Reform UK are in Government, laws and guidance can be changed that tie the hands of County Councils into spending hundreds of thousands of pounds on translation services. Until then, our elected County Councillors will do what they can.

What I’ll Do

Firstly, I’ll leave no stone unturned in exploring every area of spending and reducing waste, with a view to eliminating the deficit to start with while protecting services we need.

Secondly, I’ll publicly share all my findings and make them as easy to understand as possible. Taxpayers deserve accountability and transparency. Trust in politics is at an all time low, that needs to be Reformed as much as everything else does. Accountability, honesty, integrity and transparency are the principles that will restore trust and order.

What You Can Do

Vote for Reform UK on 1st May, to ensure the current Conservative and Labour Councillors who’ve led us into this mess are replaced by people who have the will to sort this mess out.

Otherwise, getting involved in any way you can and holding your County Councillor accountable makes a huge difference.

8 County Councillors didn’t even show up to the 2025 LCC Budget Meeting (26th Feb 2025); County Councillors Peter Britcliffe, Alan Hosker, Terry Hurn, Hasina Khan, Stuart Morris, David Westley and Phillippa Williamson. I can’t find any record of any of them waiving their taxpayer funded allowances for February!

Sources

Various parts of the https://lancashire.gov.uk/ website.