Proposed by Councillor Phil Davies

Seconded by Councillor Ann McLachlan

(1)  This Council faces a huge challenge of maintaining vital services for the people of Wirral against a background of unprecedented cuts by government which will require the Council to cut £103 million from its budget over the next 3 years.

(2)  Council reaffirms the necessity to set a legal budget. This means that savings will need to be identified. However, cuts of this magnitude will require extremely difficult choices to be made between services.

(3)  Councils in the North of England with high levels of deprivation have had more severe cuts imposed on them in comparison with relatively affluent Councils in the South of England. This is neither fair nor equitable.

(4)  Council notes that the Leader of the Council wrote to the Secretary of State, Eric Pickles, on the 1st November 2012, requesting an urgent meeting about the Council’s budget and how we could mitigate the impact of any savings. No reply has yet been received.

(5)  In the light of the unfair way in which Wirral has been treated, Council agrees to write again to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government to request an urgent meeting involving the three Party Leaders to discuss these matters.

Amendment submitted in accordance with Standing Order 7(2)

Proposed by Councillor Alan Brighouse

Seconded by Councillor Tom Harney

After paragraph (5), add the following:

(6)  Council endorses the recommendation of the LGA Corporate Peer Challenge to seek learning and support from other authorities as part of a process to identify different models of service delivery with apparent lower unit costs.

(7)  The Council thanks all Council employees for their loyalty and dedication during this difficult period. It congratulates the Council staff in achieving significant reductions in operating costs over the last two years. In total during this period, Council has made cost savings in excess of £38million.

(8)  Council does not underestimate the challenge it faces in 2013 and beyond. Council recognises that the consultation currently in progress provides Wirral residents with the opportunity to consider a range of genuine options. Council also congratulates officers for identifying savings that are considered to have no direct impact on Wirral residents and awaits the views of residents on these. In total, 62% of the consultation options are considered not to impact on residents.

(9)  To ensure that every opportunity continues to be made to reduce costs before reducing levels of service, Council accepts the need to implement the following recommendation from the LGA Corporate Peer Challenge: “We think there is much to do on asset management and rationalisation, office accommodation strategy and agile working. There is scope, we believe, for better approaches and practice which will result in increased productivity, greater efficiencies, improved cost effectiveness and better corporate working.”

Having applied the guillotine in accordance with Standing Order 7(8) the Council did not debate this matter.

The amendment was put and carried (42:19) (One abstention).

The substantive motion was put and carried (42:19) (One abstention).

Resolved (42:19) (One abstention) –

(1)  This Council faces a huge challenge of maintaining vital services for the people of Wirral against a background of unprecedented cuts by government which will require the Council to cut £103 million from its budget over the next 3 years.

(2)  Council reaffirms the necessity to set a legal budget. This means that savings will need to be identified. However, cuts of this magnitude will require extremely difficult choices to be made between services.

(3)  Councils in the North of England with high levels of deprivation have had more severe cuts imposed on them in comparison with relatively affluent Councils in the South of England. This is neither fair nor equitable.

(4)  Council notes that the Leader of the Council wrote to the Secretary of State, Eric Pickles, on the 1st November 2012, requesting an urgent meeting about the Council’s budget and how we could mitigate the impact of any savings. No reply has yet been received.

(5)  In the light of the unfair way in which Wirral has been treated, Council agrees to write again to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government to request an urgent meeting involving the three Party Leaders to discuss these matters.

(6)  Council endorses the recommendation of the LGA Corporate Peer Challenge to seek learning and support from other authorities as part of a process to identify different models of service delivery with apparent lower unit costs.

(7)  The Council thanks all Council employees for their loyalty and dedication during this difficult period. It congratulates the Council staff in achieving significant reductions in operating costs over the last two years. In total during this period, Council has made cost savings in excess of £38million.

(8)  Council does not underestimate the challenge it faces in 2013 and beyond. Council recognises that the consultation currently in progress provides Wirral residents with the opportunity to consider a range of genuine options. Council also congratulates officers for identifying savings that are considered to have no direct impact on Wirral residents and awaits the views of residents on these. In total, 62% of the consultation options are considered not to impact on residents.

(9)  To ensure that every opportunity continues to be made to reduce costs before reducing levels of service, Council accepts the need to implement the following recommendation from the LGA Corporate Peer Challenge: “We think there is much to do on asset management and rationalisation, office accommodation strategy and agile working. There is scope, we believe, for better approaches and practice which will result in increased productivity, greater efficiencies, improved cost effectiveness and better corporate working.”