Last Thursday, the Council’s meeting was dominated by the recent cuts from central Government, which left Southend Borough Council with £1.4 million less funding than planned at the start of the financial year. Here, Executive Councillor for Transport and Planning Mark Flewitt (Con) gives Councilbust.com his view of what might be this year’s most important Council debate.
The Coalition government has made clear that the reduction in the deficit is of paramount importance.
The debate was not so much a debate as resigned acceptance, but not without some creativity in a distinct human touch, offered in the form of extending the free swimming for old and young to include the summer school holiday period.
This was a Conservative offer made early on after a short but intense activity to make the first cuts of minimum-to-no impact upon frontline services within Southend.
It means ÂŁ43,000 being found from across the rest of the budget and that much of these first cuts have been derived from exactly the service areas that the government has reduced or stopped grants to. In effect we have followed the government grant reduction pathway – I suppose that is something to feel better about – except that across the council there is a mood of sadness.
The amount of politics in this item was minimal. No individual councillor has caused this, but on my side and elsewhere, we have an undeniable fact that the Labour Government had overspent so much (ÂŁ156 billion) that whatever the banking crisis had done, Labour had no right to make it worse and promise money that simply did not exist to some huge projects, especially transport where great swathes have been cancelled or frozen.
So many people felt that the cuts were inevitable, to the extent that even during the election campaign it was not “if” but “how quickly and how much!”
The contributions to this debate were small and as you will now have the sense of, the mood turned to how we can protect the services we have.
Cllr Ian Gilbert, Deputy Leader of the Labour Group, offered a sobering thought of the whole debate: “cuts could have been a lot worse.” Perhaps these ones could have but this is just the first £6 billion and it still means that £550,000 has gone from our road budget and Children’s Services have taken a hit.
I am feeling very challenged, as all my colleagues are, at the thought of the October spending review when government departmental budgets will be reduced by 25% or more in some cases.
Despite this challenging time, we are receiving powers to use “Localism” and decide our own planning and health rights (a crude summary), but without funding or new money the creativity needed is going to have to be totally committed and partnership-working across all local government and the health economy will be especially tough.
So Agenda item 22 “In Year Savings” was agreed with serious regret on all sides.
Under the last Government, Southend Council constantly be-moaned the fact the they were not getting enough green ones. Tory members constantly took credit for schemes funded by Central Government and European money. Until 2 years ago, no-one as saying “Please stop giving us money to ensure the our residents have a better life” and even then having invested OUR money outside the area in dodgy foreign banks, blamed everyone else. Southend Torys, whatever the country’s situation, you have not acted prudently with our money. Your ‘Jam Today’ attitude was one which left a bitter taste. If you do not do well when the going is good, we have no hope through the more difficult years.
Oh and on the subject of roads(which we all know is how you use your LEFT OVER MONEY so it is not cut from the next years budget) THANK GOD we will not be in a Willy Wonka situation any more. Every road in and out of the area snarled up by roadworks so “no-one ever goes in and no-one ever comes out”
Incidently-how about when having tenders done for these lucrative contracts, you install a Local Labour and Training requirement???
P.S. Your Tory group COLLECTIVELY have not helped by awarding themselves exra cash-so no one councillor responsible as you say, but equally as guilty.
The serious regret on your part Cllr Flewitt should be that the public will not take a word you have just said seriously- the reason being that if you were at all concerned about the whole situation you would not have voted to increase your own financial allowance in the same meeting that childrens’finances were being cut. The amount is irrelevant-it is the principle and people don’t forget.(DUCK HOUSES!)