Budget Proposals - Cutting Tax and Protecting Frontline Services

Last night the Council's Executive agreed our proposed budget. We've identified over £15 million of savings, focusing on waste and areas such as back office functions and Council PR in order to protect frontline services. With reports of Councils across the country slashing services due to the severe cuts to local government funding, we have done absolutely everything we can to make the vast savings away from the frontline, and have been able to avoid the widespread cuts seen elsewhere. At a time when local households are feeling the pinch, we will also deliver a council tax cut of 0.6%.

All the way along this ongoing process of driving out savings across all parts of the Council, I have insisted that savings must start 'at home' - we have to cut the cost of Borough Hall, not cut services. Looking to make savings first out in the community where important services are being provided would be all too easy, and frankly totally unacceptable. So, instead, we've made savings at Borough Hall such as

• £1.2 million through restructuring senior management
• £50,000 through merging HR and payroll systems
• £40,000 through removing the taxpayer subsidy for the staff canteen

...amongst many others, while we have also challenged the way we do things, as well as the cost of our services and activities. For example, we will take actions such as:

• Saving £260,000 through a comprehensive review of bin collection routes. This will have no impact on the level of service, and unlike nearby Central Beds and other areas we will absolutely not force fortnightly collections upon local households!
• Restructuring debt repayments to save £400,000
• Renogatiating care contracts to save £1 million

Of course, finding over £15 million of savings has not been easy, and there have of course been tough decisions to make. However, by publishing all of our 95 savings proposals way back in September, we enabled an open, honest consultation with local residents on how to make these savings while minimising the impact on the services that our so important in our communities. The budget now goes forward to a meeting of the Full Council on February 2nd.