Lib Dems Meet Ministers

12.00.00am GMT Sun 21st Jan 2007

Liberal Democrat Council Leader, Isobel McCall, has managed to get a meeting with two Government Ministers on Thursday, 25 January to lobby for fair funding for Milton Keynes Council services to recognise the costs of growth.

She will be meeting the Minister for Housing and Planning Yvette Cooper and Local Government Minister Phil Woolas in Westminster. Isobel McCall has also invited local MP, Phyllis Starkey and Vice-Chair of English Partnerships, Pauleen Lane, to attend to make the case for fair funding for Milton Keynes.

In 2007/08 Milton Keynes Council is losing £6.5 million to which the Government formula says it is entitled, because of a funding mechanism called "dampingQ", which takes money from Councils entitled to an increase, in order to protect Councils that would not otherwise get one.

On hearing the Ministers had agreed to meet her, Isobel McCall said: "I demanded a meeting in early December as I was angry that, yet again, we have not received our fair due. I will be going down to Westminster to battle to ensure we are recognised as one of the fastest growing areas in the country and that our money must keep up with our rising population.

"The Council has only managed to make the books balance for the coming year by taking £3 million from reserves. That can't be repeated in future years, so we have to ensure that we get proper funding for future years."