A presentation will be given at the meeting.
Minutes:
Councillor Lewis, Deputy Leader of the Council and Steve Kenyon, Interim Executive Director for Resource and Regulation gave a presentation on the
Budget Consultation 2017 – 2020.
It was reported that Bury Council is currently in the process of setting its Budget for the 2017/18 financial year and were wishing to seek the views of the local community on the draft budget proposals and the proposed increase in the Council Tax. The meeting was informed that whilst the Council does have a balanced budget, the Council’s finances are under a great deal of pressure. When compared with many Councils across the country, Bury has been relatively underfunded by central government for many years. When combined with the austerity cuts of recent years, Bury has been particularly hard hit. The Authority have had to make cuts of £65 million since 2010, from a budget of £125 million and will need to cut a further £32 million over the next three years. As a consequence, many services will be affected, with the need to focus on essential service provision. The Council will need to cut back on non-essential services to absorb the cuts to funding and to address the increases in social care costs faced over the longer term. The implementation of the proposals outlined would involve a fundamental redesign of services via a number key service reviews and would involve more collaborative working with key partner agencies, particularly with regards to health service provision.
The presentation covered the following key issues :-
· Detailed overview of Council funding for 2016/2017
· A breakdown of the current costs of key services to residents
· A breakdown of Bury Council financial cuts since 2010
· A comparison of Bury’s Settlement Funding Assessment per head of population with that of Greater Manchester and England
· A list of other key issues that the Authority must factor cost changes into the budget forecasts
· The cost of cuts anticipated for the next three years
· A summary of the planned financial cuts to each Department
· Details of the next steps needed to be taken in to move the Budget Proposals forward
· Details of how the public can view the proposals and provide any feedback as part of the consultation process
The Chair invited questions/comments and representations from members of the public present at the meeting, as follows :-
· Would the cuts affect recent plans to upgrade the leisure provision in Radcliffe?
It was reported that these plans would be considered as part of the budget proposals. Some of the funding streams available at the planning stages for the proposed new leisure building in Radcliffe were now no longer available to the Council. The Council were pleased with the temporary leisure facilities in Radcliffe and had seen an increase in usage since it was installed.
· What will the proposals mean for the voluntary sector agencies in Bury?
It was reported that consideration of voluntary sector funding would be part of one of the key service reviews to be undertaken.
· The provision of a multi-functional building in Radcliffe was something promised by the Council and it now feels like the area is being blundered.
In response, Councillor Lewis reiterated the issues around the loss of Civic Hall and Leisure Centre and commented on the positive re-developments that have taken place in Radcliffe in the last 12 months such as the improvement to the bus station/market, the investment in the extra care scheme at Redbank and the proposals for the new Supermarket which would help in the regeneration of the Town Centre.
The meeting continued with a discussion on the number of private leisure facilities available in the area.
· Would the money from the Devolution in Greater Manchester address some of the funding issues in Bury?
It was reported that the Council would be restricted on how it allocated the additional funding over the three year period.
· Concerns raised that the CCG had received additional funding for mental health services but were channeling the funding into other services.
Councillor Lewis explained that more joined up work with the CCG would mean that it would become more accountable in the future and would ensure more streamlined services.
· Why would it have cost so much to update the Civic Suite?
Councillor Lewis reported that the fabric of the building had been disintegrating – all of the internal plants had not been upgraded since it had been built and the building had been subsidized for many years. The building averaged a usage of only 18 %.
· A member of the public commented that this budget proposal was just another example of the working class paying for the economic crisis and that the Council were acting as an agent of the Government in cutting its services.
It was reported that the Council had a statutory duty to bring in a balanced budget – if the Council did not do this then the Government would do it and do it their way.
· Had Bury been in receipt of any money from the Manchester Airport Dividend? If so, how much?
Steve Kenyon reported that the Council had been in receipt of approximately £2.9 million. In response to a question as to why there were such diverse amounts received amongst the Greater Manchester Authorities - the meeting was informed that the amounts received were dependent upon local authority Shareholder percentages.
· Gill Stainthorpe raised concerns relating to the numbers of pupils being educated in Bury who lived out of the Borough and that the pupil funding was not transferred to Bury.
It was reported that the Schools funding formula was being reviewed for 2017 but this funding was ringfenced so would not affect the budget proposals.
· How much money did the Council have in their ‘Reserves’?
The meeting was informed that the Council had approximately £4 million in their reserves.
The public consultation would close on 31 January, 2017 and until then, members of the public were invited to comment on the proposals in a number of ways – online at www.bury.gov.uk/Budget201720; via email at Budget201720@bury.gov.uk; in writing - Budget201720, Bury Council, Knowsley St, Bury, BL9 0SW; by telephone - 0161 2535696 and by completing a Township Forum Exit Survey.
It was agreed:
That the information provided be noted, with thanks.