A presentation will be given on the evening.
Minutes:
Councillor Mike Connolly, Leader of the Council and Mike Owen, Director of Resources and Regulation, gave a presentation detailing the key financial issues facing the Authority and subsequent efficiency savings to be made for Bury Council’s 2015/16 budget. Councillor Connolly explained that the scale of the cuts and the impact on the Council was an incredibly challenging task and paid tribute to the Cabinet and Deputy Cabinet Members and Officers for their assistance in helping to provide a balanced, legal budget.
The following key facts were presented:
§ For 2015/16, £16 million will be cut from budgets. This equates to a loss of £54m (50%) of the budget in 5 years.
§ This means the Council will need to prioritise key services at a time when residents’ needs and expectations are changing and demand for services is increasing.
§ In order to do this, the Council are exploring alternative ways of delivering services and reviewing organisational structures.
§ For 2015/16 the Council have received 1 year’s funding settlement information from the Government, which has yet to be confirmed.
§ The Council’s core funding from the Government is likely to be cut by 13%, which is to be confirmed.
§ The Council will also face cuts to a number of grants received from the Government, for example, Early Intervention and Education Services Grants. This is in addition to pressures from levies from other bodies and uncertainty following the localisation of Business Rates.
The meeting was informed of the following key measures to address the cuts:
· Alternative Service Delivery Models - £3.420m
· Third Sector - £0.200m
· Income generations - £2.012m
· Better use of external funding - £3.376m
· Savings from the way the Council buys things - £1.320m
· Managing Assets - £0.726m
· T & C’s, restructuring and vacant posts - £3.229m
· Improved recycling - £0.862m
· Reduction in provision of services - £0.662m
Bury residents were being informed of the financial issues facing the authority as part of a consultation process for the 2015/16 budget and were being asked to consider changing expectations about service delivery; working more closely with individuals and communities to deliver services, ie volunteering/self management; a stronger focus on demand reduction such as self care/early intervention/personal responsibility; examining alternative ways of delivering remaining Council services and changing the way residents access services – “digital by default”.
In terms of the next steps, it was reported that from 7 November 2014 to 9 January 2015, the Council will be consulting residents and stakeholders on the package of cuts needed for 2015/16. This will be followed by a review of the consultation feedback which will be fed into the budget setting process for 2015/16. The Council will debate the 2015/16 budget and formally approve a package of cuts. Residents were informed of the various ways they can contact the consultation team and leave comments by 9 January 2015.
Questions and comments were invited and the following issues were raised:
· Mick Ainsworth asked about the cost of Unions to residents and the Council?
Councillor Connolly explained that Unions serve the work force and the facilities time was in line with the National average and that Union representatives were given time off work to undertake Union duties.
· Andy Lyons asked about ‘digital by default’ and if some services were only available online? In some deprived areas this could create problems.
Mike Owen stated that it was recognised that some residents can’t access online facilities and it was acknowledged that it could never be 100% digital by default.
Councillor Holt stated that as digital champion, he noted it was a huge task to get all people to use online facilities but there were such benefits in doing so. Mike Owen stated that Hubs were available for the public to use the internet.
· Tim Boaden (Seedfield TRA) asked about the economy in Bury and also devolution since the Scottish referendum.
Councillor Connolly stated he met regularly and worked very closely with Bury businesses and had recently attended Bury business awards where the president of the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce was a guest. Bury business was booming.
In relation to devolution, Councillor Connolly stated that the 10 Councils, including Bury, that make up the Association of Greater Manchester Councils (AGMA) have now all agreed to a devolution deal with George Osborne to get its own directly elected Mayor with new powers and funding for transport, housing, planning etc. which should be used to benefit everybody right across the Greater Manchester area.
· Tan Ahmed (ADAB) asked how Bury compared to other authorities in the amount of grant funding received.
Mike Owen explained Bury doesn’t receive as much grant funding as it is not considered to have the same levels of deprivation as other authorities, however, issues around deprivation are passed over to Bury from other authorities with no additional or following funding.
It was agreed:
That the information be noted and Councillor Connolly and Mike Owen be thanked for their presentation.