Taxpayers in Lichfield and Burntwood have been told they will need to think of Lichfield District Council as a business in future.
Chancellor George Osborne is expected to confirm a further cut to the money given to local authorities this month.
With a recent report saying Lichfield District Council faces “severe” financial risks – despite the Fit for the Future initiative finding £1.8 million of savings – Cllr Joseph Powell, Conservative represrepresentative for Little Aston and Stonnall, says the authority has had to adopt a business model in order to thrive.
He said: “If you’re a business turning over £58million a year as Lichfield District Council does then people would expect that business to be run professionally.
“Our leader Mike Wilcox is basically the council’s managing director – he along with the rest of the cabinet makes sure everything is run properly and professionally.
“Around 20 per cent of our revenue comes from people paying council tax. But we run the authority for the benefit of everyone regardless of how they voted.”
However, Cllr Powell said that the Conservative government would determine the future financial health of Lichfield District Council.
He believes that despite the difficult financial climate, the local authority has delivered value for money for residents.
He said: “We’re in the bottom 10 per cent for council tax rates in England and we’re also in the bottom 10 per cent for councillior expenses.”
