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Post by Deleted on Mar 5, 2024 8:18:38 GMT 1
BCC are effectively bankrupt and need to make a mind boggling £300m worth of cuts and savings. SCC are not far behind and following cuts of £41m last year are looking at a £62m shortfall for the next financial year.
Up to 25 of the 36 Libraries in Birmingham are set to be closed/mothballed. SCC are less specific but state that it will “review library services to ensure maximum efficiencies” and that will include “reshaping/reductions of services”.
Councils up and down the country are facing in many cases insurmountable problems with the estimated deficit reaching over £5b, much of which is down to government cuts to grants, raises in the Minimum wage, energy cost and of course inflation hitting double figures last year. Every government, council, business and household must find ways to balance their budgets, but when the councils have seen cuts of 27%+ of their spending power in the last 14 years it's amazing that the whole system hasn't collapsed.
This isn't party politics at play here, BCC are a Labour council, Shropshire is Tory. Telford is Labour and even they have had to raise Council Tax and make cuts to try to find some way of keeping the books balanced to some extent, but are in debt to the tune of £600m, which is unacceptable. I have tried to find out how much Shropshire is in debt, but can't find anything, which could mean that they aren't as badly off as we think or they are deliberately not being very transparent.
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Post by kenwood on Mar 5, 2024 20:29:45 GMT 1
I’m sure you can find out by accessing Shropshire Councils website .
It’s pretty clear that the Councils Revenue Budget is under enormous pressure . The Council are committed to reducing staff . They employ thousands across the many services they provide so I would imagine reduction in staffing of about 300 would be managed relatively easily . Those at risk maybe offered positions in areas where staffing levels need bolstering .
However , when you think that some services will be withdrawn altogether then the possibility of relocating staff reduces greatly.
Local authorities have been underfunded for years no doubt but some Councils haven’t helped themselves , spending money on ridiculous schemes which have been disastrous.
I would imagine the NWR road and Shrewsbury Town Centre developments are safeguarded as they are part of the Councils Capital Programme , money allocated by government for these schemes cannot be used to bolster the Councils revenue budget .
Shropshire Council have very little choice therefore other than to raise money by selling off property , raising council tax and increasing charges for car parking and such like .
Difficult times ahead then .
I just can’t help but think Cameron and Osborne’s austerity measures have caused Councils great financial hardship.
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Post by northwestman on Mar 5, 2024 20:44:25 GMT 1
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/mar/05/birmingham-city-council-approves-disastrous-budget-cutsCouncillors in Birmingham have approved what are thought to be the biggest budget cuts in local authority history, with residents warning that the consequences could be “disastrous” for the city. Birmingham city council met on Tuesday afternoon to debate and vote on a proposed raft of budget cuts which will see the loss of up to 600 council jobs, arts grants scrapped, libraries closed, bin collections reduced to fortnightly and funding cuts to adult social care, children’s services, flood defences and highway maintenance.
So not many pothole repairs taking place here then!
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Post by jamo on Mar 5, 2024 21:01:54 GMT 1
A 21% council tax rise over two years is staggering. Makes Shropshires intentions look tame by comparison.
That said, our council is in severe trouble and there is more to come. The projected 300 job losses is for the papers , they are looking at closer to a thousand
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Post by kenwood on Mar 5, 2024 23:48:40 GMT 1
A 21% council tax rise over two years is staggering. Makes Shropshires intentions look tame by comparison. That said, our council is in severe trouble and there is more to come. The projected 300 job losses is for the papers , they are looking at closer to a thousand Jamo, this really is TWOTS stuff and then some. A thousand ? Are you sure . Thats one hell of number of staff gone . Im told The Guildhall may be taken back into use by the Council as the University cannot afford to pay the rent and that the Shirehall cannot easily be demolished because it would cost a fortune to remove the asbestos contained within it . I remember years back the Council were in the sticky brown stuff financially and started selling off property ; first to go small holdings . This time around I foresee a fire sale as the Councils financial situation gets worse. Begging bowls out at the Croud Meadow then 😂😂 Haven’t heard much from our beloved MP lately on the subject . Wonder why ? |
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Post by jamo on Mar 6, 2024 10:53:55 GMT 1
A 21% council tax rise over two years is staggering. Makes Shropshires intentions look tame by comparison. That said, our council is in severe trouble and there is more to come. The projected 300 job losses is for the papers , they are looking at closer to a thousand Jamo, this really is TWOTS stuff and then some. A thousand ? Are you sure . Thats one hell of number of staff gone . Im told The Guildhall may be taken back into use by the Council as the University cannot afford to pay the rent and that the Shirehall cannot easily be demolished because it would cost a fortune to remove the asbestos contained within it . I remember years back the Council were in the sticky brown stuff financially and started selling off property ; first to go small holdings . This time around I foresee a fire sale as the Councils financial situation gets worse. Begging bowls out at the Croud Meadow then 😂😂 Haven’t heard much from our beloved MP lately on the subject . Wonder why ? Yep, 300 is the tip of the iceberg. Whole services are being disbanded, if it is not statutory it is in scope to go. The Shirehall has been an issue for ages, 2 concerns a) the asbestos issue and b) the council chamber is a problem when any prospective buyer would look to demolish the site. Personally I think it will all go and as part of the sale the purchasers will have to clear the asbestos in accordance with the regulations. A lot of this stems from Keith Barrows seven years of not raising council taxes just so he could look great locally, combined with the government’s reduction in council grants which has given us all this perfect storm. You didn’t need to be Einstein to see this coming! As for Kawczynski, complete radio silence, nothing! Diddly Squat! The largest, most important employer and organisation in his constituency and not a word. I feel nothing but the utmost contempt for the loser. I hope he’s gone this year |
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Post by northwestman on Mar 6, 2024 16:23:38 GMT 1
www.theguardian.com/society/2023/sep/09/woking-council-bankrupt-stops-funding-facilitiesThe fall of Woking - what happens after a council goes bust. The brakes have been slammed on all non-essential spending and a drastic package of cuts was passed last month to keep the council afloat. Community care projects, buses and public toilets are all earmarked for the chop. The council has even called on residents of Woking to voluntarily donate money to keep services running. By 2026, the council will have accumulated debts of £2.4bn, which is 100 times the size of its annual £24m budget, according to a government review in May. That works out at a notional debt of £19,000 per resident, and would make it England’s most indebted council relative to its size. To prop up the beleaguered authority, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has agreed an “exceptional” £785m bailout package. Eighteen other indebted councils have also been given handouts to stop them going bust. The Government has granted permission for Woking Borough Council to raise council tax to 10pc next year, double the usual maximum permitted. To secure the bailout money, the authority must follow through with a drastic series of cuts worth £8.4m, including closing public toilets, scrapping funding for daycare projects and increasing prices at the much-loved Pool in the Park. Woking Community Transport, which runs the door-to-door Dial-a-Ride bus service for elderly residents, will lose its £170,000 grant from April 1. Citizens Advice Woking has said it has received a funding cut from £200,000 a year to just £30,000, and will only be forced to cut its opening times from five days a week to three mornings. Grounds maintenance and street cleaning services are set to be scaled back to statutory levels. So it's not just Birmingham's residents who will be required to cough up an extra 10% on council tax bills to help clear up a mess. Dangerous precedents are being set here. Where is the accountability?
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Post by staffordshrew on Mar 8, 2024 10:19:36 GMT 1
Myself, I steer clear of standing for any council. The writing has been on the wall for years, austerity, stupid "investment" decisions, an economic squeeze from government for many years. I wonder if there's people far smarter than I am who would be great councillors who steer clear for similar reasons - it looks like a hiding to nothing. Which leaves? Pompous asses? People with strange motives? Do gooders?
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Post by MetaShrew on Mar 9, 2024 16:05:06 GMT 1
Closing recycling centres in Shropshire would be a big, big mistake. Provision of them in every town should be a protected service under environmental legislation.
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rob62
Midland League Division Two
Posts: 210
Member is Online
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Post by rob62 on Mar 9, 2024 22:48:52 GMT 1
None of the proposed actions are at all pleasant and will impact on the quality of life in Shropshire. On example closing recycling centres will result in more fly tipping and waste being burnt, clearly a backwards step.
The fundamentals of the finances will not change after the election. We are paying thc price for poor decisions that this and previous Tory administrations have made. I trust the
People of Shropshire will have their say at the ballot box.
The only credible way to avoid ever deeper cuts and council tax rises is to sell s**tehall
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