TOWN Hall directorates at Warrington are currently undergoing a “service challenge” process as part of the borough council programme which aims to cut costs without damaging frontline services.
Once developed, the public will be consulted before the council decides which proposals will be implemented.
Central to the whole process will be fairness and doing everything possible to protect frontline services, says council leader Ian Marks (right)
He was responding to a question from Labour opposition leader Terry O’Neill.
Coun O’Neill said the Coalition Government was imposing a series of swingeing financial cuts in funding on the council and asked: “What principles are the leadership of this council applying when formulating its policies in response to these reductions in finance?”
Coun Marks said excluding health and international development budgets, which were protected, the average cuts across departments in the Government’s Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) were actually 19 per cent, which was less than the 20 per cent implied in the outgoing Labour government’s spending plans.
The Csr reported 28 per cent revenue cuts to local government over the next four years.
The distribution of this over each of the four years was still being debated as no clear information as to which grants were included in the cuts had yet been received.
Coun Marks said there was no point in pretending that all council services could be fully protected. But the council would listen to what people were telling them
He said: “We take great pride in treating the whole of the borough in an even-handed way. I am not sure this was necessarily the case in the past.”
Councillors were also taking note of what council staff were telling them.
“We are having extensive consultation with residents and staff.
” Staff are often in a really good position to tell us what is important and we value greatly what they are telling us.”
2 Comments
“We take great pride in treating the whole of the borough in an even-handed way.”
That’ll be why almost the whole borough now has no Sunday evening bus services, even though some of the routes to what might be traditionally termed “Labour-voting” areas were seemingly breaking even? Yes, thanks for that, WBC.
“We are having extensive consultation with residents and staff.”…I’m a resident…I have some ideas to help you cut costs without affecting services, care to contact me?
….anyone else been contacted?…consultation? anyone? hears echoes from afar!….hello….anyone there?…..Mr Marks has used this “Consultation” word many times before..maybe its me ? Consultation does mean what I think it means doesnt it, you speak to others concerned to explore their viewpoint?
maybe there is a select commitee of people he consults and I am not on that team?
and no matter what the subject or location, they become dynamicly linked to that subject, therefore the consultation box is ticked. “Mr Parrot can you tell me what areas you think can be cut”….”Polly wants a cracker”…”OK Mr Parrot Bins to be collected once a fortnight”…”Mr Dog..and you”….”Ruff Ruff”…”Exelect Idea Mr dog Busses to run on only 2 wheels halving their expense”.