Special Council Meeting, Spending cuts cometh? Options

[Richard Garvie]

Tuesday 25th October 2011. The day we find out where the axe is falling next year I presume? Almost £3m of cuts to Adult Social Care are planned as part of last years cost cutting measures, total figure of savings expected to be around £8m. The Executive meeting has been postponed to the same day too.

[Bloggo]

Tuesday 25th October 2011. The day we find out where the axe is falling next year I presume? Almost £3m of cuts to Adult Social Care are planned as part of last years cost cutting measures, total figure of savings expected to be around £8m. The Executive meeting has been postponed to the same day too.

It will be interesting to see how they achieve a £3m cut to Adult Social care next year when for the past 2 years they have failed to control the budget and busted it.Unless there has been a management change in that department I suspect that we can expect more of the same.

[Simon Kirby]

It will be interesting to see how they achieve a £3m cut to Adult Social care next year when for the past 2 years they have failed to control the budget and busted it.Unless there has been a management change in that department I suspect that we can expect more of the same.

They can find £3M surely. We'll miss him of course, but that's pretty much User's overtime bill for keeping us entertained here.

[Richard Garvie]

or maybe we will find out what will happen to the grand plan for future development of the district? Who knows, all cloak and dagger stuff and we will have to wait to see what the agenda says tomorrow.

[NWNREADER]

OMG, RG back in 'Grassy Knoll' mode..........
Yawn.

Basically, there is to be a Council Meeting and the agenda is not yet published. Standard business for Local Authorities around the country, regardless of majority party......

[Richard Garvie]

There is a "special" council meeting with an executive meeting rearranged until just before it.

[NWNREADER]

There is a "special" council meeting with an executive meeting rearranged until just before it.

Correct...... So what does that mean, whenever and wherever it happens?

[Richard Garvie]

Executive will no doubt pass a report relating to the LDF going back out to consultation and the full council will meet straight after to basically rubber stamp it.

[NWNREADER]

Executive will no doubt pass a report relating to the LDF going back out to consultation and the full council will meet straight after to basically rubber stamp it.

If that guess is correct, so what? Isn't that a typical majority party method?
If it is wrong............???

[Bloggo]

It will be interesting to see how they achieve a £3m cut to Adult Social care next year when for the past 2 years they have failed to control the budget and busted it.Unless there has been a management change in that department I suspect that we can expect more of the same.

Unfortunatly according to the NWN it looks like my prediction was correct. Apparently WBC adult social care budget is now deficient by huge £1.7m. This is £730k up on 3 months ago.
There seems to be something terribly wrong in this department in that they continue to fail to manage the finances of this department.
If it was not so serious it would be comic.

[Richard Garvie]

They refused to answer my question in the chamber. Does this figure include the £1.8m "investment" carried over from last year? If it does, we are talking a £3.5m overspend.

[Bloggo]

They refused to answer my question in the chamber. Does this figure include the £1.8m "investment" carried over from last year? If it does, we are talking a £3.5m overspend.

I always take what you say with a pinch of salt as you are not always accurate, intentionally or otherwise. However if true how is it possible for public funded council staff to withold information about public funded projects such as this. Surely it is not democratic and maybe illegal?

[Richard Garvie]

I always take what you say with a pinch of salt as you are not always accurate, intentionally or otherwise. However if true how is it possible for public funded council staff to withold information about public funded projects such as this. Surely it is not democratic and maybe illegal?

Read the story in the paper. They refused to answer.

[NWNREADER]

As I've said before, maybe we should be careful about making too much fuss. If the service limited to budget then much would be cut. As it is the service is being delivered to supply the need, despite that being in excess of the budget. Some rules by which the budgets are constrained make it difficult to set at the required level.

Better an essential service be delivered, surely, than a dogmatic adherence to a budget that is likely not allowed to properly reflect the need

In other words, might we be wise to be grateful the Council is viring money from available alternative heads?

[blackdog]

Better an essential service be delivered, surely, than a dogmatic adherence to a budget that is likely not allowed to properly reflect the need

In other words, might we be wise to be grateful the Council is viring money from available alternative heads?

It all depends where the extra money comes from - if it is from cuts that we don't even notice in the budgets of other departments we may well have cause for gratitude. If it comes from increased borrowing resulting in increased interest payments and subsequent budget cuts or tax increases that we do notice - then we won't be very grateful.

Essential services need to be delivered - it pretty much follows from the concept of 'essential' - but they should be supplied in a cost effective manner and they really should be 'essential'.

[Bloggo]

As I've said before, maybe we should be careful about making too much fuss. If the service limited to budget then much would be cut. As it is the service is being delivered to supply the need, despite that being in excess of the budget. Some rules by which the budgets are constrained make it difficult to set at the required level.

Better an essential service be delivered, surely, than a dogmatic adherence to a budget that is likely not allowed to properly reflect the need

In other words, might we be wise to be grateful the Council is viring money from available alternative heads?

You have a strong point and I agree with it to a certain extent however I ask the question that whoever is managing the Adult Care department should be in a position to have information that can be used to anticipate the potential expenditure for the forthcoming year let alone for the forthcoming 3 months.
Surely there is something very wrong in that this department continually gets it's budget wrong. Or is that now acceptable as well?

[NWNREADER]

That is the point I wonder about... Is the budget badly managed, or is it set the way it has to be because of some obscure rule about how much budgets may change over a period?
I just wonder if the social care budgets are quietly allowed to be run as they are in the full knowledge that allows the service provision strict adherence to the budget would prohibit. So we raise our hands in horror when the budget as passed is inadequate..... And again when the money is provided for the full and uncut service...

I agree, if the money is borrowed we are not best placed - a bit like central Govt.

[Bloggo]

That is the point I wonder about... Is the budget badly managed, or is it set the way it has to be because of some obscure rule about how much budgets may change over a period?
I just wonder if the social care budgets are quietly allowed to be run as they are in the full knowledge that allows the service provision strict adherence to the budget would prohibit. So we raise our hands in horror when the budget as passed is inadequate..... And again when the money is provided for the full and uncut service...

I agree, if the money is borrowed we are not best placed - a bit like central Govt.

I believe that the necessity to fund adult care, and in the process bust the budget, in order to maintain the health and wealthfare of those that have serious needs is the right thing to do and probably illegal not to however I cannot understand that with all of the modern facilities to anticipate trends and monitor the demographic of adult care requirements in the area that they can't budget a little more accurately.
I wonder if the Councillor responsible is asking the same question?

[Squelchy]

I wonder if the Councillor responsible is asking the same question?

No. He's never asked a question and has the poorest attendance record. So we can only conclude he's happy with the way things are being run.

[Bloggo]

No. He's never asked a question and has the poorest attendance record. So we can only conclude he's happy with the way things are being run.

It's a bit of a worry isn't it if he did not give the department a poke with a sharp stick 3 months ago at the last declaration of budget failure and if you are correct about his ability to monitor adult care and attend the required meetings then there is not much hope.
Let's see what the budget looks like at the end of the financial year maybe it will improve.
But I won't be putting any money on it.