Comprehensive Spending Review, What it means for West Berkshire Options

[Richard Garvie]

One of the local authorities up north is letting all of it's PCSO's go in March due to budget cuts.

[Strafin]

I'd like to make the point that there is a lot of wastage in the public sector and a lot of people could easily be cut. This doesn't mean that they are wasters, or that they don't work hard. It simply means the job itself is unnecessary, rather than the person.

[user23]

I'd like to make the point that there is a lot of wastage in the public sector and a lot of people could easily be cut. This doesn't mean that they are wasters, or that they don't work hard. It simply means the job itself is unnecessary, rather than the person.

Which types of job are you talking about?

[Strafin]

Luxuries. things like play co-ordinators. Smoking cessation officers. About three tiers of management in the education sector. All these jobs have been advertised by WBC at some time.

[spartacus]

I call "front line" the actually teachers, the actual coppers on the beat etc not their support staff, afterall you can't retain the support staff if you get rid of the people they are supporting..

Chicken and egg.... If there's no-one in the back office to sort out their pay because they've been given the boot, the front line police officers will do what exactly?

I think there may be possibly more PCSO's rather than less. PCSO's don't require the same amount of training, so less cost.

You said it... They don't get the training and they can't do the same job.... Without the powers of arrest they can do no more than a civilian bystander when it comes to helping out an officer on patrol...

They have the power to do.... very little in truth... They're not known as 'Plod Lite' for nothing....

They have no power of arrest (other than 'citizens arrest' which you or I could make). Limited powers to detain someone (and then it's only for a very short period.) Some forces (not sure whether this includes TVP) don't allow them to conduct house to house enquiries as it should be done by the Crime Investigation team. CCTV cannot be seized by them as they're not Warranted Officers. They cannot pull vehicles over as they have no powers to deal with 'Moving traffic Offences'

ummm. Is that the sort of police force you'd look forward to Jayjay?

They do not get paid as much as an officer, therefore another saving.

If you pay peanuts, don't be shocked when a troop of chimps turn up...





HOWEVER............... All that being said, at least they are a visible presence on the street. They patrol areas... ON FOOT no less!!! 'Proper Coppers' go everywhere by panda car and never interact with Joe Public.... need a crowbar to get them out from behind the wheel..... From a distance the scroats don't know who it is walking towards them and they behave (a bit.... sometimes)

[Jayjay]

Chicken and egg.... If there's no-one in the back office to sort out their pay because they've been given the boot, the front line police officers will do what exactly?


You said it... They don't get the training and they can't do the same job.... Without the powers of arrest they can do no more than a civilian bystander when it comes to helping out an officer on patrol...

They have the power to do.... very little in truth... They're not known as 'Plod Lite' for nothing....

They have no power of arrest (other than 'citizens arrest' which you or I could make). Limited powers to detain someone (and then it's only for a very short period.) Some forces (not sure whether this includes TVP) don't allow them to conduct house to house enquiries as it should be done by the Crime Investigation team. CCTV cannot be seized by them as they're not Warranted Officers. They cannot pull vehicles over as they have no powers to deal with 'Moving traffic Offences'

ummm. Is that the sort of police force you'd look forward to Jayjay?

Not at all, quite the opposite in fact. Being old enough to have lived through a few recessions and living in the north during the Thatcher years, in my experience theft crime increases during a recession. I have a suspicion we are seeing the beginnings of this in Newbury already. Therefore I think an increased police force is necessary. I was pointing out that due to finances we could end up with more PCSO's and less officers. Although I note from a previous post that one force is getting rid of all their PCSO's so there is some hope.

[user23]

Luxuries. things like play co-ordinators. Smoking cessation officers. About three tiers of management in the education sector. All these jobs have been advertised by WBC at some time.

Do they exist any more, following the cuts over the past few years though?

[On the edge]

I suppose one example of a luxury is our free Library service. The staff are dedicated and very busy. The Library does a very good job. However, why does it have to be free? After all, TV isn't free - we all pay a licence fee. Use of sports facilities isn't free either. So what's wrong with an annual subscription? Or pay as you go internet access? Arguably, with some keen pricing, no reason why the Library service couldn't be a profit rather than a cost centre. That really would be 'thinking the unthinkable'!

[Richard Garvie]

The cost of Library services in West Berks is just short of two million when added up together. I don't have the detail on what that is spent on, maybe it is all genuine costs. Then again, do we need £35k events budget for the library? There are a lot of savings that could be made without affecting front line services, the problem is it's almost impossible to see how much without having detailed figures to work with. Apparently the other parties haven't requested the information, so why should we need it? Maybe if they did show some interest, we would have a leaner meaner council with front line services protected and waste identified.

It would be easy to pick on the public sector workers after reading all of the horror stories over the years. But User23 is right in saying a lot of these jobs have now gone.

[user23]

The cost of Library services in West Berks is just short of two million when added up together. I don't have the detail on what that is spent on, maybe it is all genuine costs. Then again, do we need £35k events budget for the library? There are a lot of savings that could be made without affecting front line services, the problem is it's almost impossible to see how much without having detailed figures to work with. Apparently the other parties haven't requested the information, so why should we need it? Maybe if they did show some interest, we would have a leaner meaner council with front line services protected and waste identified.

It would be easy to pick on the public sector workers after reading all of the horror stories over the years. But User23 is right in saying a lot of these jobs have now gone.

Aren't library events a front line service?

I would have thought getting children interested in reading would be of benefit to everyone.

[On the edge]

Aren't library events a front line service?

I would have thought getting children interested in reading would be of benefit to everyone.

Library is a front line service but so is the Swimmin Pool - why should we pay 'on the gate' for one and not the other?

Wholly agree about kids and reading - suspect that's what they do in Schools! Also, being rather aged, I can just remember my Aunt developing the reading habit in me....at Boots Circulating Library in Guildford.

[Simon Kirby]

I think it would be a very sad state of affairs if we couldn't afford free public libraries (though I don't see why they get involved in DVDs). It just feels wrong to even think about charging for the service, almost like we're talking about book burning.

[On the edge]

I think it would be a very sad state of affairs if we couldn't afford free public libraries (though I don't see why they get involved in DVDs). It just feels wrong to even think about charging for the service, almost like we're talking about book burning.

What's the difference between a DVD and a modern fiction book? Asking for payment isn't the same as removing the books; and lets face it, change is always with us. If we could never change useful services still have Council run isolation hospitals for scarlet fever and ARP wardens. Imagine a Library run as a Trust - rather like the Greenham Common Trust. The service, albeit good now, might actually be even better. As a previous contributor said today its all cost - some of which really can't be justified. The event last weekend must have taken a lot of effort to organise but to what end?