The leader of City of York Council says her administration will not spend beyond its means.
At a media briefing, council leader Claire Douglas made it clear that although Labour’s manifesto pledges are still a priority, the council will be fiscally responsible.
A key pledge before the May election was ensuring that every primary school child is given a free meal at midday.
When asked if this pledge would be delivered by the next local elections in 2027, executive member for education Bob Webb said he is “very hopeful.”
But council leader Claire Douglas interjected with a slightly more cautious tone.
“We would like to,” she said.
“But we cannot spend money that we don’t have.
“It’s financial responsibility to take that very seriously and we’re absolutely committed to finding a way of doing it.
“But we also have to be cognizant of the environment that we find ourselves in.
“I don’t think the city would thank us if we committed millions of pounds to free school meals if we couldn’t deliver children’s services, for example.”
The briefing was held to show the council’s four-year plan amid forecasts that it will overspend by £11.4m without serious money saving.
Finance lead Cllr Katie Lomas said: “All of the grand ambitions we all have for our city are massively constrained by the level of funding we receive from the government and we are one of the lowest-funded upper-tier authorities in the country.”
In fact, it is the lowest-funded local authority in England.
Cllr Lomas added: “That means we have to demonstrate sound financial management in order to carry on running the city and make decisions in the interest of those who need us most.”
She said while making sure “we’re not the next Birmingham City Council,” the council needs to “maintain a strong focus on what the people in the city who elected us want.”
Lib Dem group leader Nigel Ayre said: “York Labour’s manifesto pledges are now in tatters and it is clear from the draft Council Plan that it was never their intention to follow through with any of the promises they made to the public.
“This type of politics where you overpromise and underdeliver is exactly what causes people to lose trust in the entire political process.”
The City of York Council’s four-year plan will be put to the executive on 14 September.