Gloucestershire County Council needs your help to cut £120m
TODAY the people of Gloucestershire are being asked to have their say on how to cut back on public services to save £120 million.
Gloucestershire County Council is facing the biggest cuts in generations with every department of the local authority likely to be affected.
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Difficult decisions: Mark Hawthorne
The figure needs to be saved over the next four years. Currently £120m is more than it spends on libraries, roads, waste, trading standards, and fire and rescue combined, in 12 months with its annual budget being £407 million.
Other services it provides include child protection, school transport, flood prevention, youth work, extra police officers and caring for the disabled.
As part of its Meeting the Challenge campaign, council leader Mark Hawthorne is urging people to come forward to have their say on where the axe should fall.
"We are looking at every spending option on how we can save money but we are only going to get one chance to get this right," he said.
"We really need to understand from the public what the core services are, and the services we need to be delivering in another way, or scaling back on.
"We need the public to help us focus on which areas we need to be delivering the savings in."
The council gets £221.7 million a year from the Government but this is likely to be reduced by 30 per cent over the next four years as the Coalition Government battles to bring down the nation's deficit.
Council tax has already been frozen for the 2011-12 financial year, and the £326.2 million education grant is ring-fenced.
Mr Hawthorne (Conservative, Moreland) would not be drawn on where the axe will fall but it is likely community groups and the voluntary sector will play an increased role in providing services such as youth activities and libraries.
"We spend £3 billion a year in Gloucestershire across various agencies, like the NHS, police, local authorities, further education colleges – the question is how do we spend that money better?" he said.
"Who is best placed to deliver?
"Some of these mythical barriers can be broken down."
"I think it was Ann Widdecombe who said we expect more from Government than we do from God.
"This is about saying actually we cannot afford to pay for it – it's about re-balancing what the state and private sectors, and what communities can deliver for themselves."
The council employs 17,500 people in the equivalent of 9,400 full time posts which also includes school staff. Although he could not say where the jobs axe will fall, he said there would be losses.
"We have a huge mountain of debt to tackle and there are no easy ways around that," he said.
"This is not the kind of savings that you have seen the past. You cannot cut a post here or half a post there.
"We are going to have to take £120 million out of a service business – we are in the people business.
"It means jobs will go. We have been very clear about that from day one. There will be job cuts."
The Meeting the Challenge consultation launched today is designed to let Gloucestershire's council tax payers have their say on what should be cut back.
Mr Hawthorne made an assurance the public's views would be taken in to account.
"If we are going to have less money, the best way to deliver those services is to have a decision made on the ground," he said.
"For the last 13 years, we have had this idea of creating the "big state". The future is going to be how you involve local communities in the decisions on what they need, and the state takes a step back.
"It's about protecting the most vulnerable in our society.
"We have not made any decisions – we want to hear people's ideas, and look around the country. There are lots of examples of where community action has done a better job than a council. This is not new – it's about doing more and better."
Consultation on the cuts runs throughout September and into October. The council will make an announcement after the Government's comprehensive spending review on October 20, and a final decision of which services will be cut in February 2011.
To have your say on the cuts visit: http://www.meetingthechallenge.org.uk/
To find out when the public sessions are click here.
Web chat with the leader
Have your say over proposed budget cuts with the leader of Gloucestershire County Council, Mark Hawthorne. Mr Hawthorne will be on a live webchat on Thursday, September 9 from 11.15am.
Simply visit www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk on Thursday to put your questions to the leader.
30 Comments
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by Anonymous, Cheltenham
Wednesday, September 08 2010, 8:22PM
“I work in an organisation that is predominantly funded via local authority. We were told this week to not even raise the question of a unitary authority because this is an option our esteemed leaders will not countenance
thats democracy for you”
by phil, glos
Tuesday, September 07 2010, 11:02PM
“10% of council staff on the sick at any one time. Stop all sick pay. 10% saved, no services lost. They would not mind this as they are not in the job for money, but because they are publicly spirited.”
by Peter, Glos
Tuesday, September 07 2010, 10:05PM
“Steve from leonard stanley I am warming to the idea of Unitary now that council have decided to sell the North Warehouse in Gloucester. 1 unitary would suffice for the whole county. Ultimately given more services being contracted out should be an overall surplus of office administration accommodating fewer staff and with advent of e-mail and video conferencing less need for outsized meetings. Fewer council members Less managers and less expense. Fair comment and just name it Big-G”
by Steve from leonard stanley, leonard stanley
Tuesday, September 07 2010, 9:47PM
“Surely now is the time to revisit the unitary argument ? What about 1 or at the most 2 unitary authorities for gloucestershire, think about the savings to be gained from losing a) Senior management teams at the districts b) district councillors c) ineffective purchasing and contracting.
Also why not when the NHS is in the process of being reorganised look to combine the oversight and management arrangements ie one Chair/leader one Chief Exec. Further ideas views very welcome”
by Daisy, Gloucester
Tuesday, September 07 2010, 7:11PM
“Very subtle Mr Hawthorne I don't think by placing libraries along with education and emergency services which makes this very auto suggestive for the public to think we can do without one of the most essential if not important services the council provides. I have been a library member for many years and the staff provide a wonderful service.Have you ever used a library or indeed have any of your colleagues? We if you are not careful are in danger of taking things back to Draconian times. Was it not the dream of Carnegie who set up the library service that books should be available for all and not the chosen few? You and your colleagues are being very shortsighted in thinking that volunteers could run a service they would not have the same level of dedication. This is very much like putting a volunteer on the streets as a policeman. Public service is what it means people who give themselves over to serving the public and not in the interest of making money like the glorious bankers who got us in this mess in the first place and who are still receiving fat bonuses. You cannot put a price on public service Mr Hawthorne and maybe more respect should be shown to those people who are in the front line and have to explain to the general public why their services are being cut within the library service. Of course there are other important council services like where will the funds come from for the councillors expenses? Maybe you and your colleagues should review your expenses for the next four years and take a cut or does dedication not stretch that far when it hits your pockets?.”