A first look at Southend’s budget for 2012-2013
January 19, 2012 17 Comments
A similar scenario will be played out in towns halls the length and breadth of the country in the coming weeks, a scenario where councillors and council staff attempt to make savings so as to satisfy the demands of David Cameron’s government.
A few Labour candidates gathered last night to have a first look at Southend Borough Council’s budget proposals. It is an impressive tome, and a blog like this is never the right place to tackle it in detail. Any attempt at précis is likely to miss something, and with this in mind here is what initially struck me as noteworthy.
• There will be 120 job cuts in the coming financial year (compared to 180 in 2011-12)
• Possibly up to 80 of these will be compulsory redundancies
• £500K is being taken from the children centres budget – this will impact Sure Start centres
• Cuts to elderly care total over £1M
• £78,000 will be saved in the library budget by reduced spending on CDs, books, etc. I am a regular library user, as are my children. Needless to say this seemingly modest cut could have big implications.
• £17,000 will save in sports pitch utilisation. Local football is already under pressure – I will be keen to see the detail here.
• Reduced training for social workers will save £20,000
• £154,000 will be saved from the school improvement team (cutting their budget in half)
• The every child a talker program loses £50,000
• £150,000 is being cut from the bridges and sea defences budget
• £175,000 is being cut from the highways department staffing budget
• The street cleaning budget loses £50,000 – this will cause despair in some quarters.
• The CCTV service is being outsource with a claimed saving of £100,000. Aside from the privacy issues that may arise, if no loss of service is to be maintained, the savings plus profit for the private supplier must only come by diminution of the employees’ terms and conditions.
• £168,000 is being saved by the withdrawal of the subsidy for meals on wheels. This will result in an increase cost for the recipients of meals on wheels – a rise from £3 to £5.50 for a main meal and pudding (a rise of 83%).
• South Essex Homes rents are going up by 8.05%
• I heard no reference to the airshow, which I presume means that it gets the same level of funding as last year.
Doubtless I shall return to the subject of council cuts.
Take a further look here 2012/13 Council Budget
At least you’ve got the budget. We’re having to fight for Wokingham to publish it for us to even see.
That sounds ominous – I predict an ugly read when it finally arrives.
As do I. The council leader has said that to publish or consult on the budget would “just be a PR exercise”. That’s his excuse for the secrecy.
I already know that council tax will be frozen (possibly cut), and a green waste collection charge is to be introduced. I predict the libraries will be hit hard, as they’re already planning to privatise them. Like yourself, I’m a library user and any cuts to libraries concern me greatly.
I recall when the Tories started charging for museums, this led to a drop in usage, especially for families. If we want an informed and educated society we must have free access to libraries. Libraries also have an incidental purpose as a refuge for the lonely and poor. So much for the Big Society ….
I think you have the point about CCTV wrong –
The list of revenue savings can be found here: http://minutes.southend.gov.uk/akssouthend/images/att20588.doc
Or maybe you’re partly right… it isn’t a definite intention to outsource but it is flagged up as a possibility.
Thanks Ian – I blame the guy reading the budget document out!
The relevant text is this -
WS-C9 CCTV Service redesign – £100,000
A specification to scope maintenance contract and potential outsource for the entire or part of this service is currently being finalised. This is however, dependant on relocation of CCTV from Queensway.
This may be incredibly cynical of me, but when I see a Conservative administration saying they are “considering” outsourcing or privatisation, it means that they’ve already actually decided to and are trying to spin it, and see what the reaction will be.
Cynicism borne of experience no doubt.
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Sadly yes.
Revenue from central government down, over £11 million saved, but:
Council tax frozen.
Car parking charges frozen
No leisure centres, arts or cultural facilities have had to be closed
After this budget the council will still be able to ensure that:
Children are protected from risk and harm
Families are supported in caring for children with disabilities or in need
Schools are doing the very best they can for our children’s education
We have enough places for all Southend children to start school and school admissions are fair
Children with special educational needs or requiring alternative education get the right service
Children are prevented from offending and we combat anti-social behaviour
There is local youth centre provision for our children to attend
There is a vibrant and active voluntary sector working to a shared vision for children with all agencies across Southend
Young people find employment, education or training
Every family has access to a children’s centre and those most in need are supported through them
The children we look after thrive in our care and we can find them permanent families for life
Families and children in need get early help to prevent problems getting worse
Adults continue to have opportunities to learn throughout their lifetime.
You have identified a list of just under £2.5m of savings. Anyone can do that. If you want the savings to be made from somewhere else (and remember your leader is agreeing that the cut backs in public spending is the right thing to do…), please tell us where.
Or would you increase council tax to hit the poorest hardest?
My leader (I presume you mean Ed Miliband) said nothing of the sort. Labour has consistently said that your government is going too far and too fast with the cuts. Ed said that the next Labour Government come 2015 cannot promise to reverse any of them.
If Labour were running things at the Civic Centre we would be faced with some unpleasant choices; we are not. These cuts are being made by a Tory council under direction from a Tory government.
James, as Julian has already said, Ed Miliband has not accepted the cuts, merely the political reality that we cannot promise to reverse specific cuts if a Labour government is elected.
And the fact is that the ordinary people of Southend are taking massive hits. You make a big thing of freezing council tax, which is very commendable, but actually that doesn’t help the poorest most, as the poorest do not pay it themselves anyway. I reckon there are a great many people in Southend who would welcome a rise in their council tax, if it meant that they could keep their jobs.
‘No leisure centres closed’ that’s because you have already knocked one down!
James, you should be able to do better than this.
It comes to something when you read a Conservative list of achievements and you see:
“We have enough places for all Southend children to start school”
Given that we’ve only had universal primary education in the UK since 1870, I suppose we should be grateful that you haven’t managed to turn the clock back that far yet… keep up the good work.
Judging by their admissions policies, our grammar schools have enough places for Colchester’s kids as well.