33 replies to this topic

[Wendall]

The poorest councils face the biggest cuts next year under a settlement announced today that left town halls claiming they are now powerless to protect frontline services from a wave of library, social services and leisure centre closures.

"Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Newham, Manchester, Rochdale, Knowsley, Liverpool, St Helens, Doncaster and South Tyneside are among the 36 local authorities that take the maximum cut of 8.9%. Meanwhile Dorset gets a 0.25% increase in funding and Windsor and Maidenhead, Poole, West Sussex, Wokingham, Richmond upon Thames and Buckinghamshire all get cuts of 1% or below."

Can't go getting the backs of the voters up in the Tory heartlands i guess.

[ckn]

We had our Parish Council meeting tonight and the report from our Suffolk County Councillor was that the County Council (Tory controlled) was pushing ahead with 10% cuts next year regardless of the 2.46% cut imposed by central government. It's absolutely irrelevant to them and they want to go ahead with naked Thatcherism that may have even made Thatcher blush. I think you'll find that other Tory councils will do much the same.

If you want to see what your council cut was, here's a good source.

For me, it's pocket picking by central government. Council taxes won't go down but services will suffer and the local councillors will get blamed. Most county and district councils are looking at binning local services and expecting either Parish councils to take them up or let them close. As a Parish Council (same with many small Town Councils), we have unlimited budget powers that can't be capped by government, we only have to account to parishioners and I think that central government is expecting many services to be dropped to that bottom level and local parishes/towns to either take them on or see them binned.

As an example, our County Councillor made it clear that the County Council expects parishes to take control of any libraries in the parish or they will be closed down. Only the large core libraries will stay open and under County control.

In other news: Tory councillor suggests that northeners may “replace the Romanians in the cherry orchards” if unemployment gets high enough.

[bigred]

Our local council are debating whether to re-introduce the workhouses and bring back the Poor Laws!!

[JohnM]

easy peasy:

1. cut the number of Directors by 25%
2. stop the ludicrous pay out to Chief execs who move on
3. Prevent the re-employment as consultants those who have taken early retirement.
4. Cut the employer contribution to pension funds for five years
3. Realign salary levels for those on more than say £30 k

Done properly, there need be no compulsory redundancies, if the brothers were to show some worker solidarity.

[ckn]

easy peasy:

1. cut the number of Directors by 25%
2. stop the ludicrous pay out to Chief execs who move on
3. Prevent the re-employment as consultants those who have taken early retirement.
4. Cut the employer contribution to pension funds for five years
3. Realign salary levels for those on more than say £30 k

Done properly, there need be no compulsory redundancies, if the brothers were to show some worker solidarity.

One point on that, Suffolk CC's Chief Exec is refusing to take a pay cut despite presiding over the massive downsizing of her entire council to no more than a few hundred "account managers". Very happy though to work with councillors on beating down the wages of others and giving plenty of people a hard Christmas knowing they're going to be out of work in the next few months.

[JohnM]

One point on that, Suffolk CC's Chief Exec is refusing to take a pay cut despite presiding over the massive downsizing of her entire council to no more than a few hundred "account managers". Very happy though to work with councillors on beating down the wages of others and giving plenty of people a hard Christmas knowing they're going to be out of work in the next few months.

The problem is that the way this is being handled it like turkeys voting for Christmas. These people have become a law unto themselves. A law change is needed.

Edited by JohnM, 14 December 2010 - 08:59 AM.

[Steve May]

The poorest councils face the biggest cuts next year under a settlement announced today that left town halls claiming they are now powerless to protect frontline services from a wave of library, social services and leisure centre closures.

"Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Newham, Manchester, Rochdale, Knowsley, Liverpool, St Helens, Doncaster and South Tyneside are among the 36 local authorities that take the maximum cut of 8.9%. Meanwhile Dorset gets a 0.25% increase in funding and Windsor and Maidenhead, Poole, West Sussex, Wokingham, Richmond upon Thames and Buckinghamshire all get cuts of 1% or below."

Can't go getting the backs of the voters up in the Tory heartlands i guess.

Direct link between size of cuts and social deprivation

[JohnM]

tis, too. Interesting that there is an informed comment.

[Millman]

I'm shocked to see Dudley described as a less deprived area to highlight a point.

[nadera78]

One point on that, Suffolk CC's Chief Exec is refusing to take a pay cut despite presiding over the massive downsizing of her entire council to no more than a few hundred "account managers". Very happy though to work with councillors on beating down the wages of others and giving plenty of people a hard Christmas knowing they're going to be out of work in the next few months.

Three London Boroughs run by the Tories (Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, and Hammersmith and Fulham) have announced that they will be merging services in many areas in order to save money. Of course, all three councils will be keeping their Chief Execs - on six figure salaries - they are vitally important members of staff and cannot be done away with.

[JohnM]

I'm all for curbing this sort of six figure salaries. The saving could pay for say 4 front-line workers. Cutting the salaries of public sector fat cats will make a valuable contribution but there is more, much more.

Unite’s general secretaries took home a combined £308,000 in 2008,, which would pay for 15 front line workers.

Bob Crow's salary package last year was £133,000, so that's another 5 front line jobs

Mark Serwotka salary package last year was £110,000

Christine Blower takes a salary of £124,483.

[Griff9of13]

I'm all for curbing this sort of six figure salaries. The saving could pay for say 4 front-line workers. Cutting the salaries of public sector fat cats will make a valuable contribution but there is more, much more.

Unite’s general secretaries took home a combined £308,000 in 2008,, which would pay for 15 front line workers.

Bob Crow's salary package last year was £133,000, so that's another 5 front line jobs

Mark Serwotka salary package last year was £110,000

Christine Blower takes a salary of £124,483.

That's all well and good, but not really relevant. Their wage is not paid out of the public purse but from their members trade union subscriptions. If the union members are not happy with their bosses remuneration it is up to the members to do something about it, not the public at large.

[Bob8]

I'm all for curbing this sort of six figure salaries. The saving could pay for say 4 front-line workers. Cutting the salaries of public sector fat cats will make a valuable contribution but there is more, much more.

Unite’s general secretaries took home a combined £308,000 in 2008,, which would pay for 15 front line workers.

Bob Crow's salary package last year was £133,000, so that's another 5 front line jobs

Mark Serwotka salary package last year was £110,000

Christine Blower takes a salary of £124,483.

The argument would be comparable if these salaries were being maintained whilst all the other employees at the union were taking paycuts.

[JohnM]

who is taking a pay cut?

[l'angelo mysterioso]

I'm all for curbing this sort of six figure salaries. The saving could pay for say 4 front-line workers. Cutting the salaries of public sector fat cats will make a valuable contribution but there is more, much more.

Unite’s general secretaries took home a combined £308,000 in 2008,, which would pay for 15 front line workers.

Bob Crow's salary package last year was £133,000, so that's another 5 front line jobs

Mark Serwotka salary package last year was £110,000

Christine Blower takes a salary of £124,483.

what front line jobs are these?

[JohnM]

They are not front line jobs. They are union bosses.

[WearyRhino]

They are not front line jobs. They are union bosses.

Who are all democratically elected and can be democratically removed.

[Bulletproof]

I see Halton get's one of the biggest cuts even though we've had one of the biggest unemployment rates not long back. All fair and equitable I am sure. Richer areas don't need cutting.

Thanks Tories. Thanks Lib Dem.

[Phil]

You've almost got to hand it to the tories, they prosecute the class war with all the methods at their disposal, whilst most of "our side" would probably deny there's a war taking place.

[WearyRhino]

You've almost got to hand it to the tories, they prosecute the class war with all the methods at their disposal, whilst most of "our side" would probably deny there's a war taking place.

The Ideological State Apparatus Comrade!!