Lichfield and Burntwood residents have been promised first class front line services, despite Government plans to cut public funding.

Staffordshire County Council Leader Philip Atkins
Staffordshire County Council Leader Philip Atkins

The pledge comes from Staffordshire County Council Leader Philip Atkins in the wake of the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s pre-budget report which was announced today (December 9).

Alistair Darling revealed that public finances were deeper in the red than he had predicted with a deficit of £178bn this year compared to the estimated £175bn.

But Councillor Atkins is reassuring residents that he will be pulling out all the stops to ensure Staffordshire continues to provide top notch services at the best value for money. He said:

“We are determined to deliver the best possible front line services to residents at a cost that is good value for money. We are doing everything in our power to help Staffordshire pull itself out of recession and thrive in the future. This is one of the biggest challenges that we currently face and one that is at the top of our agenda.

“The Government is tightening its purse strings but with careful financial planning we will ensure that these national problems are not passed on to the tax payer in Staffordshire.

“We are proud that our tax is the second lowest in the country for a county council and that we are able to use the money we have wisely without making cuts to services or jobs. We will emerge from this credit crunch like a phoenix from the ashes.”

A new Innovation and Efficiency Board was set up earlier this year to identify ways of delivering ever better value for money for the county’s tax payers.

Cllr Atkins added:

“We have introduced a number of measures which will help us to face the challenges that lie ahead. The Innovation and Efficiency Board will ensure that waste is stamped out and value is kept in. We will do exactly what we promised in our manifesto – develop a sound budget that combines top quality with value for money.”

Founder of Lichfield Live and editor of the site.