As Local Government Reorganisation edges closer, Mid Sussex District Council is aiming to leave a legacy of prudence and safeguarding the interests of residents.
The declaration was made by leader Robert Eggleston during a discussion about the council’s finances.
At the end of September, there was an underspend of £62,000 on service budgets and an underspend of £20,000 on other budgets, while income from Treasury Management returns stood at just over £1.5million.
With the council set to be absorbed into a larger unitary authority in April 2028, Mr Eggleston stressed the need to resist the temptation to spend more and reduce its reserves, but rather provide a ‘buffer’ for the new authority.
He said: “As an authority we are, compared to some of our neighbours, in a strong financial position.
“Were we to take different spending decisions to reduce our reserves and make us less financially robust, whilst it might look good in the short term, in the long term the only people who suffer will be the same residents who move from Mid Sussex District Council to whatever the name of the new unitary authority will be.
“It wouldn’t be appropriate and it would be a really poor legacy for this cabinet and this council to behave in a short-term manner and them palm off what would be severe problems for the unitary authority.”
Instead, he declared that the council’s legacy would be that it ‘behaved prudently and appropriately and safeguarded the interests of people who live here’.
Share