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by Lib Dem team on 25 February, 2011
Stockport yesterday passed it’s budget for the next financial year – 2011/12. The budget sees us making just over £16 million of savings. Unlike some other councils, we’ve worked hard to smooth out the impact of the cuts so they’re spread more evenly and not hitting us in the first year. That gives us time to find other ways to save money.
We’ve known big cuts were coming since October 2009 – well before the General Election. I can remember, just a few weeks after being elected, coming to a meeting where we were given best and worst case projections on savings we’d have to make over the next few years. The worst case option then was for us to have to save over £18 million in 2011/12, so it’s not quite as bad as we’d feared. It’s very clear that whichever party had won last year’s General Election, big cuts were on the way.
We – the Lib Dem Council Executive, officers and the Lib Dem group – have worked very hard to minimise the impact of the cuts and to protect the most vulnerable in our communities, unlike some councils, which seem to have taken a slash-and-burn approach to make a political point. But it would be daft to suggest we could cut £16 million with no effect – especially as Stockport was already a low-spending and efficient council.
Here are some of the headline items:
Conservative and Labour response
As I mentioned before, we’ve known these cuts were coming for well over a year. Throughout that time, there have been numerous opportunities for the other parties to put forward their suggestions of where cuts and savings could be made. They’ve had a great deal of time to come up with their own alternatives.
From Labour – nothing. No ideas, no suggestions, no alternative budget or even amendments. Nothing over sixteen months. They spent last night attacking the need for cuts nationally and then opposed the budget.
The Conservatives made one or two small suggestions, adding up to about £100,000 – better than nothing, but not a great help when you’re trying to find savings of over £16 million. They’ve also been proposing spending even more in their leaflets. For example, they’ve opposed the Council buying Grand Central Leisure in the town centre – a purchase that’s already bringing in half a million pounds a year into the coffers.
Like Labour, the Conservatives have not engaged over 16 months and, last night, offered no alternative budget, no amendments and no ideas.
Moving forward
This was a good and responsible budget in a very difficult time. It’s not what any of us came into politics to do, but to not find the savings – nationally or locally – would only result in even worse problems in a few years and that would be irresponsible, to say the least. Instead of money going to schools, hospitals and the police it would be going to foreign bankers to cover our debt interest payments.
Next year we’ll need to save another £16 million, and the work on that has already started.
Once again, the ruling Lib Dem group has invited Labour and the Conservatives to get involved in that process and throw their ideas into the mix for the benefit of Stockport. We’ll have to see if they take up the offer this time.
14 Comments
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Thank you for a prompt summary of last night’s meeting. I found your site whilst researching something else a few days ago and can only say how impressed I am. As a Mellor resident, could you encourage some of your fellow Marple councillors to follow your lead as this site is a great example of how technology can be used to inform and engage at miminal cost.
I also think your experience and expertise will pay dividends in any work you do with the Borough’s commuinications.
[…] Note: this is from February 2010 and relates to the 2010/11 budget. For the 2011/12 budget report, click here. […]
[…] here is my report from the Budget meeting held on 25th Feb 2011, where the budget for 2011/12 was […]
Councillor, can you confirm or deny that the last time Labour & the Conservatives put forward a budget proposal in 2009, Councillor Goddard told them no matter what was put forward, it would be voted down?
How can you expect participation with such ruthlessly partisan attitudes?
If this is not true then deny it – put your money where your mouth is!
Oliver – I can’t confirm or deny that – I wasn’t a councillor at that stage and I wasn’t in the council chamber for that meeting.
It’s true that, if you go anywhere around the country, opposition group budgets rarely get accepted. That’s why we have been inviting the Labour and Conservative groups to get involved with this budget for over a year and have input at a stage when it could have been accepted.
However, even at the budget meeting the opposition groups might have wanted to put forward an alternative budget, or some amendments, to show the people of Stockport that they had some ideas of their own.
Think of national politics. Governments don’t generally accept opposition party policies (and have probably never accepted an opposition budget in history) but oppositions still have policies and still have alternative budgets to go to the people with.
Thanks for the prompt reply, Councillor.
I am not a Councillor either yet I was involved in local politics in 2009 and I would hope someone who stood in the 2009 by election would have been following local affairs for sometime before they stood on a particular platform.
The incident I mentioned did happen.
But your argument confuses me. You ask the opposition to participate in the formulation of a budget even though you acknowledge it is extremely unlikely that you (as the incumbent administration) will take any notice? That is ridiculous – either you make an open and fair offer for sensible debate or you don’t.
Seems to me this is just shameless opportunism on your part.
Hi Oliver,
I didn’t attend that meeting. I hope you’re not suggesting that anyone who follows local politics as a member of the public should attend every council meeting!
You misunderstand my argument, I think. Had the opposition participated in the formulation of the budget we would have taken notice and would, I’m sure, have been able to include suggestions.
No I’m not suggesting that Councillor. However, given this is the most important meeting of the local political calendar and that you used the same accusation to the opposition last year – I had hoped you may have done your research into this. God knows you were present at last year’s budget meeting when the opposition brought up Councillor Goddard’s remarks. Have you taken this up with your colleague or would it be daft to let facts get in the way of a point-scoring opportunity?
You say that had the opposition participated you would have taken notice but I put to you again – your Council’s track record on this matter begs to differ. I refer you to Councillor Goddard’s “we will vote you down” remark in 2009.
No, our track record backs up exactly what I’ve said.
Over the last couple of years at least, the opposition have had every opportunity to contribute right through the budget process and have their ideas taken on board.
Both Labour and Conservative groups have also had the opportunity to present their alternative budget in the council chamber – in front of the people of Stockport – to take to the electorate in May.
Neither have taken up any of those opportunities.
I have just told you exactly what your Council has said when the opposition has presented budgets in the past.
If your political memory is experiencing selective amnesia or you’re too inexperienced to know about events pre-September 2009, then go and ask Councillor Goddard.
Your track record offends any mention of participation – the last time alternative budgets were offered, the opposition were told they would be voted down absolutely!
I think I’ve explained quite clearly how the opposition parties can have input into the budget process, and how they might want to put their case before the public by proposing an alternative budget or amendments on the day and persuading voters that they have the better case.
Everyone knows how they physically can put a budget forward but how can you argue that they are in the wrong for not doing so when your own administration has already told them it will be voted down?
You cannot square claiming the moral high ground on participation whilst hypocritically acting in a bullish and partisan manner.
Because they presumably want to persuade the voters that it’s they who should be in control and they who should be the ones voting down *our* budget or amendments (as happens in councils where Labour or the Tories are in control).
Perhaps they don’t feel the need to put their case to the voters and they’re happier being in opposition, not having to take those difficult decisions.