TOWN Hall chiefs at Warrington have made a U-turn over proposed cutbacks which would have produced savings of more than £550,000 on next year’s revenue budget.
The controversial plan to close the community recycling centres at Stockton Heath and Woolston have been axed, along with proposals to cut back on the Ranger Service.
A review of post-16 transport and transport for pupils with Special Education Needs has also been dropped and a proposal to reduce support for Sunday, evening and rural bus services has been deferred for 12 months.
But two other controversial cutbacks – the axing of crèche facilities at Birchwood, Fordton and Woolston leisure centres and support for the town’s elite swimming squads – look set to go ahead.
Council leader Ian Marks told the borough council’s executive board the crèches all operated below capacity and were losing £41,000 a year.
It was hoped to find different ways of supporting the 87 young people in the elite swimming squad so that savings could be achieve through efficiencies.
“We value our elite swimmers,” he said.
Coun Paul Campbell, executive member for finance, (pictured) stressed that the decisions were not final and had still to be confirmed by full council.
But the council, like all other authorities, was facing unprecedented difficulties with the cost of services rising at the same time as income was falling. The council faced a £30 million funding gap over the next three years.
The board was told the council had consulted widely over its budget proposals and had made changes as a result of the feedback it had received
But Coun Marks said: “We cannot continue to fund everything as we have in the past in the current economic climate.”
The full council will be asked on March 1 to approve net expenditure of £135.783m for the coming year, net of dedicated school grant of £123.680m, requiring a council tax rise of 2.4 per cent, of £26.64 for the average Band D dwelling.
Council U-turn over £550,000 cutbacks
1010 Comments
Share.
About Author
Gary Skentelbery
Experienced journalist for more than 40 years. Managing Director of magazine publishing group with three in-house titles and on-line daily newspaper for Warrington. Experienced writer, photographer, PR consultant and media expert having written for local, regional and national newspapers. Specialties: PR, media, social networking, photographer, networking, advertising, sales, media crisis management. Chair of Warrington Healthwatch Director Warrington Chamber of Commerce Patron Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation for Peace. Trustee Warrington Disability Partnership. Former Chairman of Warrington Town FC.
10 Comments
This lot walked into the job when the council were already wasting money.
Apart from selling off assets, little has changed. They still waste money, but to make things look better, they cut services. They need to put their own house in order.
Still, a reverse about the two tips, is a start and a plus for common sense.
Wasn’t the decision on Woolston school once deferred, leading people to think they might get a reprieve?………Then bang! as soon as the local election was over so were the hopes for Woolston High! Wasn’t the decision to renovate rather than demolish Stockton Heath Primary overturned by this council just as soon as they’d got into power? Do they think the 5000+ people whose wishes they went directly against then will ever really believe their pre-election spin ?
Warrington’s elite swimmers do need support and I;m sure the council could at least contribute in some other way to help give these young people a boost. We will be proud of them if they win Olympic medals in 2012 so a small contribution could be money well spent.
Maybe the chief executive of the amateur swimming association could put his hand in his pocket, I understand he is paid in excess of £130,000 a year, so a pretty deep and full pocket.
Champion Youth…. 2012 Olympic medals may mean a lot to you; but to me and many thousands of other people, it represents an astronomical waste of money to many others. The amounts of money that the likes of Seb Coe are being paid along with the rest of his jogging cronies would easily fund your amateur swimmers and athletes for the next 20 years. I for one won’t be anywhere near the TV when this waste is being broadcast
Wot he said
I am sooo ashamed to be an employee for WBC.
Every day I go into work I’m aware of the wasting of funds, no one I know, knows how to manage a budget effectively and so is it little wonder we’re in such as mess? I just can not believe with all the waste, the ongoing dreadful mess Childrens Services is STILL in, and ongoing valid objections by the general public for who we work for, that the Cheif Executive and Leader and Co have the nerve to show up for work and take a wage!
Being some one who works there I see every day how everyone is treated as an employee and how senior management and above ( and some below) just do not know how to treat their employee’s or what on earth to do regarding the restructure or how to implement the indended cuts and staffing changes. I’ve never dreaded going into work so much in my life, no one in charge appears knows what they’re doing and its effecting many of us and has been for a long time and it’s showing now more than ever, leaders have lost our respect and our commitment so how are they going to implement the new “Visions” and “Aims and Objectives”? when the workforce are NOT behind them???
I’d be off sick due to the long term problems my departments had for severals years now that have significantly impacted negatively on my health, if I wasn’t so scared “sick” about my job, plus I don’t want to let clients down or the staff immediately, mind you, they’re off sick now too so…………..
Sorry, I know I’ve gone off track a bit but its all part of the bigger picture.
Totally agree with ‘uknowho’ I experienced it all whilst I was there.
You experienced it all, wow you must have got around.
I too agree with uknowho – am another WBC employee who used to be proud of who I worked for – can’t wait to get out now. Talking about money wasted – what about the cost of the ‘re-branding’ a couple of years ago? All the existing headed paper, leaflets, uniforms, vehicle livery etc etc had to be changed so that Warrington could proudly display the awful ‘ticks’ instead of the Crest. When we complained, we were told there had been a survey done in the town centre – never did find out just how many people had been ‘consulted’ – and whether they were even local to the town!