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by Lib Dem team on 8 December, 2010
Update: here is my report from the Budget meeting held on 25th Feb 2011, where the budget for 2011/12 was agreed.
A year ago the Council was planning for a possible £40 million cuts over three years – we knew then that money was going to be tight.
If you’ve a particularly good memory, you might remember Labour trying to persuade everyone of a “£40 million black hole”.
In fact, the Council has been working hard since then to plan for how we can make the cuts we’ll need to. Under the Coalition plans, it looks like we’ll need to cut around £50 million over four years (instead of £40m over three) and those cuts are “front loaded” – the biggest cut comes in the first year and looks to be about £20 million.
Whatever anyone thinks of the Coalition plans (and personally I think it’s absolutely right that we sort out this mess – the longer we leave it, the worse it gets), councils of all political colours have to get on and make savings – it’s not optional.
So we’ve been looking at how the council can make £20 million savings. The Lib Dems have been working hard to identify ways to make those cuts with minimal impact on the front-line services people rely on and I think we’ve achieved that.
But it’s not just the Lib Dems looking at this – anyone can and should.
We’re keen for Labour and Conservative councillors – who spend a good deal of times attacking the Lib Dems – to suggest how we can do things better, perhaps spot something we’ve missed.
So at the moment we’re having a series of meetings at the Council to give all the parties the chance to ask questions about the cut plans and make their own suggestions about what should be cut.
I hope they take it. Labour, for example, have been keen to attack Stockport Lib Dems on what we’re cutting, will have little credibility if they can’t offer alternatives.
So far (and we haven’t finished these meetings, and there’s still time after them for anyone to make suggestions on cuts) Labour haven’t made a single proposal and the Conservatives just one which would save relatively small amounts of money.
Although it’s a bit technical in places, you may want to take a look at Stockport’s medium term financial report, which lays out the financial situation and projections for the next few years – it starts at page 194 and runs to the end of the document.
Stockport Council Executive – 1 November 2010
6 Comments
Still no calls for the only cut that matters ? – the number of you councillors ?… turkeys , voting, christmas – comes to mind !
Yes, this be a matter for government, but, you could still raise the issue locally to start with, then, hopefully, someone in Westminster will set the ball rolling – Mark Hunter ?
Hi Robert,
Had you been at Full Council last Thursday you would have heard the Council Leader Dave Goddard say that reducing the number of councillors is something that is being considered.
However, I would be cautious about it. I’m sure you won’t believe me, but most of us (from all parties) do work pretty hard. Cutting the number of councillors by a third, say, would save a few hundred thousand pounds a year, which might be worth doing. But it could well be that those savings are more than cancelled out by the loss to Stockport citizens of the work those councillors would have done.
Methought you were working hard… in Saddleworth !
I try to work hard as a councillor and in other areas of my life too. I even find time to relax and enjoy myself on occasion.
Lets hear it for Councillor Goddard !
The only cuts to concern oneself concerns the article in last weeks Stocky Times about public recycling bins. The council be reviewing the number of sites and the number of bins with a view to reducing both. Perhaps one be alone, but, these bins – Church Road car park, Gatley – be more convenient than those dammed wheelie bins ! (a two adult household – less rubbish than a ‘nuclear’ one !)
Now be your chance to show your electors what you are made of – battle for the bins !