Agenda item

MOTION: CUTTING TOO FAR AND TOO FAST

Minutes:

Proposed by Councillor Jeff Green

Seconded by Councillor Lesley Rennie

 

(1)  Council notes that the 'budget options' now being considered include:

 

- Closing Sure Start Children's Centres

- Cutting the Youth Service

- Removing Council Tax discounts to pensioners and others

- Closing the Birkenhead Dog Kennels

- Cutting the resources available to Area Forums and community groups

- Ending the home insulation programme

- Increasing the cost of Meals on Wheels

- Turning off street lights

- Scrapping the Apprenticeship programme and significantly reducing our capability to bring inward investment and jobs into the area

 

(2)  Council notes a total lack of coherence or a guiding strategy behind these cuts and that at the same time as recommending the cutting back of services for the most vulnerable in our communities the administration, is not collecting all the money owed to the Council and has even taken action to vastly increase the Council's cash in the bank by a further £21 million.

 

(3)  Council does not believe the approach adopted by the Labour Administration is morally acceptable or consistent with our aspiration for a resilient, active civic society that supports the weakest and poorest in our communities.

 

(4)  Council believes the Labour Administration has once again ‘got the cart before the horse’ and calls for it to identify a coherent strategy first and present this to Council as a matter of urgency and then come forward with a budget to deliver this strategy.

 

(5)  Council believes the public will accept an evidence based, thought through and considered blue print for the future as opposed to the unthinking, ill considered, hypocritical slash and burn approach favoured, once again, by the Labour Administration.

 

Amendment submitted in accordance with Standing Order 7(2)

 

Proposed by Councillor Phil Davies

Seconded by Councillor Ann McLachlan

 

Delete everything and replace with the following:

 

(1)  Council notes that the budget options published in the name of the Chief Executive on the 9th November are currently subject to consultation with the public. These are therefore officer options and not the views of the Administration. Council further notes that the Administration will present specific budget proposals to the Cabinet meetings on the 20th December and 7th February respectively.

 

(2)  Council rejects the claim that there is a lack of coherence or guiding strategy behind the budget options. The budget options have been put forward according to the overriding principle that we should spend less on ourselves, taking savings first from our ‘back office’ and so mitigating as much as possible the impact on services to residents, particularly our poorest and most vulnerable.

 

(3)  In order to manage the risks around the Council’s budget, including the £17 million overspend inherited from the previous administration; the need to make provision for cuts in Council Tax Benefit; the need to complete Job Evaluation; and the impact of the Localisation of Business Rates; Council believes it is prudent to ensure that balances and reserves are at an appropriate level. Council also notes the finding of the Corporate Peer Challenge which took place recently. The team concluded that: ‘There is a need to build up reserves given the level of risk the Council faces with its current approach to setting next year’s budget.’ Council also notes the recent report from the Audit Commission which revealed that most Councils nationally (under control of all parties) had built up reserves significantly because of increased risks.

 

(4)  Council believes that it is utter hypocrisy for the Conservatives to refer to the moral acceptability of approaches to the budget, when their government is cutting £108.7 million from this Council over the next three years; unfairly distributing local government cuts to the most deprived areas; cutting the benefits of some of the poorest people in our community; privatising the NHS; while at the same time they are giving tax cuts to millionaires and failing to ensure that large corporations pay a fair level of taxation. Instead of seeking to blame someone else, the Conservative Group should apologise to the people of Wirral.

 

(5)  Council acknowledges the open and transparent process which the Administration has followed in seeking to address the unprecedented cuts in our budget, including the largest consultation exercise ever undertaken by Wirral Council. In particular, for the first time all budget options have been published for the public to comment on prior to a budget being agreed.

 

(6)  Council notes the positive conclusions from the Corporate Peer Challenge regarding the approach taken by the Administration to addressing the authority’s financial and improvement challenges. The Executive Summary to the report of the Peer Challenge Team states that: ‘The Council has a good grasp of the scale and urgency of the challenges it is facing. You recognise that significant financial challenges will continue as time elapses and that immediate and decisive measures to address them are required. We think the overall strategy you are working to, including the plans for organisational improvement and budget reduction, is appropriate given the challenges you face. Put simply we think you have a good awareness of the issues and an appropriate plan of action.’

 

(7)  Council notes that the Conservative Group has been quick to say which cuts it is opposed to, but has not yet told the public what their budget strategy is and what savings they would support. Council asks that this information be produced as a matter of urgency.

 

(8)  Finally, in light of the unfair way in which Wirral has been treated, Council agrees to request an urgent meeting with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and that this should involve all parties represented on the Council.

 

At the start of the debate on this item, it was agreed that Standing Order 7(8) be applied at 9.10pm.

 

Following the debate and Councillor Jeff Green having replied, the amendment was put and carried (36:26) (One abstention).

 

The substantive motion was put and carried (36:26) (One abstention).

 

Resolved (36:26) (One abstention) –

 

(1)  Council notes that the budget options published in the name of the Chief Executive on the 9th November are currently subject to consultation with the public. These are therefore officer options and not the views of the Administration. Council further notes that the Administration will present specific budget proposals to the Cabinet meetings on the 20th December and 7th February respectively.

 

(2)  Council rejects the claim that there is a lack of coherence or guiding strategy behind the budget options. The budget options have been put forward according to the overriding principle that we should spend less on ourselves, taking savings first from our ‘back office’ and so mitigating as much as possible the impact on services to residents, particularly our poorest and most vulnerable.

 

(3)  In order to manage the risks around the Council’s budget, including the £17 million overspend inherited from the previous administration; the need to make provision for cuts in Council Tax Benefit; the need to complete Job Evaluation; and the impact of the Localisation of Business Rates; Council believes it is prudent to ensure that balances and reserves are at an appropriate level. Council also notes the finding of the Corporate Peer Challenge which took place recently. The team concluded that: ‘There is a need to build up reserves given the level of risk the Council faces with its current approach to setting next year’s budget.’ Council also notes the recent report from the Audit Commission which revealed that most Councils nationally (under control of all parties) had built up reserves significantly because of increased risks.

 

(4)  Council believes that it is utter hypocrisy for the Conservatives to refer to the moral acceptability of approaches to the budget, when their government is cutting £108.7 million from this Council over the next three years; unfairly distributing local government cuts to the most deprived areas; cutting the benefits of some of the poorest people in our community; privatising the NHS; while at the same time they are giving tax cuts to millionaires and failing to ensure that large corporations pay a fair level of taxation. Instead of seeking to blame someone else, the Conservative Group should apologise to the people of Wirral.

 

(5)  Council acknowledges the open and transparent process which the Administration has followed in seeking to address the unprecedented cuts in our budget, including the largest consultation exercise ever undertaken by Wirral Council. In particular, for the first time all budget options have been published for the public to comment on prior to a budget being agreed.

 

(6)  Council notes the positive conclusions from the Corporate Peer Challenge regarding the approach taken by the Administration to addressing the authority’s financial and improvement challenges. The Executive Summary to the report of the Peer Challenge Team states that: ‘The Council has a good grasp of the scale and urgency of the challenges it is facing. You recognise that significant financial challenges will continue as time elapses and that immediate and decisive measures to address them are required. We think the overall strategy you are working to, including the plans for organisational improvement and budget reduction, is appropriate given the challenges you face. Put simply we think you have a good awareness of the issues and an appropriate plan of action.’

 

(7)  Council notes that the Conservative Group has been quick to say which cuts it is opposed to, but has not yet told the public what their budget strategy is and what savings they would support. Council asks that this information be produced as a matter of urgency.

 

(8)  Finally, in light of the unfair way in which Wirral has been treated, Council agrees to request an urgent meeting with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and that this should involve all parties represented on the Council.