Reading Labour have now published their budget for the coming year including £24.2 million worth of cuts. The council is in a dire financial situation partly due to Conservative government cuts and partly due to local Labour mismanagement (with a £7.5 million in year overspend on the Council budget this year). Cuts will continue until councils get together and stand up to the government.
The council is currently consulting on closing 9 out of 13 children's centres. Arthur Hill swimming pool in east Reading has been closed. Vulnerable adults have had care packages cut. Members of the public are suffering and understandably concerned as public services are cut at the same time as council tax goes up (Labour are proposing a 5% increase this year).
The budget is going to the Policy committee on Monday, February 13, but isn’t debated and voted on until full Council on Tuesday, February 21.
Budget papers can be found using this link. The report is very long. Pages 1-4 give a summary of the council’s dire financial position. Individual budget savings can be found in appendices 1A, 1B and 1C from page 31 onwards – most of these have been announced previously.
Green councillors will continue to stand up for public services. Why not get involved?
4 comments:
There are some interesting areas on here where I'm not convinced that this budget plans for contingency. I understand the pressures on the council in terms of funding but - for example - if you look at the Council Tax budget for 2017/18 (£80M collection budgeted), they have not allowed for any shortfall in collection. Currently it is around 96% collection rate, and with the hefty increase for next year, one can assume this may fall further - let's say to 95% but in other council areas (eg Manchester) this is as low at 92-93%. So this could leaves a potential £2M+ gap between budget and "actual" collection. Ditto other ares of revenue (eg business rates)of which I'm not sure of colection rates. Thre are also other areas of anomaly - eg the dividend frpm Reading Buses of £100K per year (which hasn't happened so far). So I can't see how they are building any revenue contingency into this plan ? If this is the case, RBC will find themselves in the same position next year - shortfall in revenue and potential overspend again ?
Thanks for your thoughts. Yes given the £7.6 million overspend this year, unfortunately I think it is highly likely the council overspens next year.
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