'Cuts have hit my department'
THE ability to deal with major incidents like floods and fires in Gloucestershire is being damaged by council cuts.
That was the claim of Iain Bryson, the head of emergency planning, who spoke at a meeting at Shire Hall yesterday.
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Shire Hall
He told a meeting of the authority's community safety overview and scrutiny committee that cuts made under the Building Our Future (BOF) programme were hitting his department hard.
The controversial BOF is tasked with saving the cash-strapped county council £60 million over the next three years.
Under the initial cuts, the emergency planning department has seen its staff cut by two people and its budget reduced by £42,000.
Mr Bryson said: "If we have another event like we had in 2007, the support that you will get from our service will be nothing like it was then, because we simply do not have the resources."
He added: "We have not only had a reduction in staff numbers, but are losing experienced staff as well.
"The early retirement scheme means we lose one member of staff at the end of this month, and I lose my deputy in September.
"The reduction in staff means that staff in the authority are less likely to volunteer for us as well because they have more work to do in their day jobs and are not willing to give up spare time. It means we are losing experienced volunteer staff as well."
Councillor Kathy Williams, chairwoman of the scrutiny committee, said: "We will be monitoring the emergency planning service, we need to check for the next year to make sure it is not damaged by the BOF cuts."
Councillor Jeremy Hilton, leader of the opposition Liberal Democrat group on the council, said: "BOF was not supposed to hit frontline services, but the great worry for myself throughout this programme has always been that the Conservatives are embarking on a series of savage cuts to council services.
"They try to hide their cuts, not now one of their own officers has admitted it is hurting his service."
After the meeting, Chris Griffin, deputy chief fire officer in the county, said: "In future there will be less back office staff in the council, including in emergency planning, but this will not impact on our ability to respond to emergencies or crisis situations and we are still as well-equipped and prepared as we were in 2007."
4 Comments
by dave cosmic, GLOS
Thursday, March 11 2010, 7:31PM
“Here, here John Doherty. Well said my man.”
by John Doherty, Gloucester
Thursday, March 11 2010, 9:41AM
“With respect Mr Bryson but When the ¿Floods Engulfed Gloucester¿ very few staff were available in Shire to lend a hand. I well remember the demanding task of keeping Buses Running in Gloucester and Cheltenham almost single handed but not quite. Many Loyal and dedicated drivers struggled against all odds with me to serve the public who paid our wages whilst two men from the council turned up on the depot doorstep to say they would close us down if the office toilets did not work. Good Luck to the Conservative Administration. Take a few more carvings out of that fat over bureaucratic organization who insist in telling us how to draw each lungful of air whilst they are wholly engaged sitting around holding ¿Team Meetings¿ in order to reproduce more people like themselves who tell us how to live and take away our freedom.”
by ex-council employee, Gloucester
Thursday, March 11 2010, 8:19AM
“What Mr. Bryson means if a disaster happens again he will have to get more involved and might have to get his 'hands dirty' without people to do all the hard work to make their manager 'look good'”
by Tewkesbury resident, Tewkesbury.
Thursday, March 11 2010, 8:12AM
“As ye sow so shall ye reap. All those who returned the current mob at Shire Hall with an increased majority will have little grounds to complain about this. After all the chickens have come home to roost. Glad to hear Mr. Griffin feels he can make bricks without straw. In the mean time people in Tewkesbury will rightly feel more ill at ease about all this.”