City council budget passed despite protests
THE city council has approved its budget for the next year, despite protests.
The Labour majority voted through financial plans at a meeting at Nottingham Council House last night, after more than 100 objectors gathered outside.
Coun Graham Chapman, the deputy leader of the city council, defended the budget.
He said the council had to find savings in order to meet additional costs.
The savings of about £18m include cutting 202 jobs and reorganising back office functions, like payroll. Fees and charges will be increased and council tax will go up by 2.9%.
A number of campaigns have objected to the cuts which hit services for people with learning disabilities, the elderly and the deaf community.
But Coun Chapman insisted that, overall, more money would be spent on adult social care and children's services.
He said: "There are more and more elderly people, people with disabilities and more need for child protection than ever before.
"We also have to 'future proof' the budget. We are working on the basis that over the next three years we will have a nil per cent to 10% cut in the budget."
In one concession, the city council has found an extra £115,000 for day care for people with learning disabilities.
It had planned to withdraw day care for those living in private homes. Councillors argued the council paid homes to deliver day care.
Now, two days of care will be funded each week in council centres, while long-term arrangements are worked out.
In addition, £150,000 will be spent providing a drop-in centre for older people in Clifton.
But there will be a 3% increase in charges for home care and the price of meals on wheels.
A charge of £2 per day will be introduced to attend day centres. And a weekend day centre at The Willows, in Beechdale, will be closed.
Beechdale library will be closed and the future of Wilford library is uncertain.
The Riverside Care Home for people with learning disabilities will be closed and day services reorganised.
The Radford Unity Complex will close, putting the future of some community groups in doubt.
Coun Andrew Price, leader of the Conservative group, insisted the cuts were unnecessary, including the closure of libraries and the Riverside Care Home.
He said: "We would keep front-line services running while stripping out the worst of poor management practices. We would also put more money into reserves.
"The Labour Group has put nothing aside for the [poor] financial settlements we all expecting over the next two years."
In an alternative budget proposal, Coun Price highlighted spending on communications, including the Arrow magazine, as a key area for savings. The Conservatives also said they would cut the cost of consultants and temporary staff and reduce mileage rates for staff.
The Liberal Democrats also targeted the council's marketing budget as an area of untapped savings.
Coun Gary Long, leader of the Lib Dems, said: "What makes a city proud is the way it looks after its people, not huge stickers on the side of lorries telling people that they are proud.
The Lib Dems said they would refurbish, rather than rebuild the Victoria Leisure Centre.
Both opposition parties accepted the rise in council tax.
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by Andyman, Derbys
Wednesday, March 10 2010, 5:14PM
“Earl Manvers:
As Plonk has already stated we will not be getting the new technologies we developed and let the germans have due to the short sightedness of the Government.
LED lighting technologies were developed by a Northern company and tested over a range of conditions. These were then honed and programmed to offer varying light outputs to suit differing conditions. These cost around £23 to manufacture for the head and electronic control, any subsequent batteries or solar panels were an additional cost.
Additional items were developed and married to the system, these were the new composite lamp standards which were very light and extremely strong. In the event of an accident they would not crush the roof of a vehicle, unlike the current and older standards.
Unfortunately the Government failed to support the scheme, despite its environmental abilities, freedom from mains electricity, and ease of installation. This required around £100,000, but would have saved this in electricity costs in one year across all authorities, so was cost effective, and unreliant upon mains supplies, so they could have been installed anywhere if battery and solar panel equipped.
This short sightedness led to the German Government stepping in and funding it with certain proviso's, it uses it for a test facility for other manufacturers, and is in profit.
These lighting systems varying light abilities have already saved countless lives on a bad German autobahn, and significantly reduced accidents.”
by Earl Manveers, Nottingham
Wednesday, March 10 2010, 8:10AM
“Thanks Plonk.”
by Plonk, Heanor at work
Wednesday, March 10 2010, 1:59AM
“Earl these aren't the ones were getting. Were getting a newer version of the current systems with a different light colour and use more power than the ones we use now. Its been reported the current lights use 35 watts but the new ones use 70 watts but will be turned down to run at suggested 55 watts.”
by Earl Manvers, Nottingham
Tuesday, March 09 2010, 7:47PM
“Thanks for that clarification Andyman. But are you saying that these are the same ones we will be getting? If that is the case I'll certainly withdraw my criticism.”
by Andyman, Derbys
Tuesday, March 09 2010, 7:13PM
“Earl manvers:
The nexy generation of interactive LED lighting systems are here, well in Germany as we speak.
These were developed up north, they ran out of money to fully develop them so in steps the German Government, they saw the potential and the cost savings. They also saw the potential to integrate them, fit batteries and solar panels, so encouraged the various developers to submit solar panels, batteries,etc for testing.
The net result was the best technologies, and the manufacturers of the ancillary systems paid the german Government to test their products.
Net result: costs the german Government nothing as they recouped their investment so we will be buying them from the Germans.”
by Liz, Nottingham
Tuesday, March 09 2010, 7:01PM
“It's atrocious that they're closing Beechdale Library. That area has no facilities except the library and the swimming pool and both are going to get the chop.”
by Mr. Sensible, The Real World
Tuesday, March 09 2010, 3:04PM
“John, mate, the point is the 2 TORY groups' policies are the same, or at least Tory policy was the same (there might have been another U-turn, I don't know!)
The point is, and I say again, the Tories cannot lecture Labour about protecting frontline services, unless they scrap and look again at their budget which values freezing council tax ahead of council services.”
by The working class has been betrayed, by the labour scabs
Tuesday, March 09 2010, 2:44PM
“LABOUR WHAT ARE THEY GOOD FOR.......
ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.”
by kerry, beechdale
Tuesday, March 09 2010, 2:08PM
“I spoke in the Square yesterday about Beechdale library and am disgusted at the decision to close it- 26k users will now go without a library altogether so that Bilbrough library can have a toilet, a coffee machine and another computer. It's a joke. The 'vision' Cncllr Trimble talks of for libraries is HIS OWN- nothing to do with that the community wants. They have pushed this decision through without any consultation with the local community. It stinks!”
by m, gedling
Tuesday, March 09 2010, 1:15PM
“"Coun Gary Long, leader of the Lib Dems, said: "What makes a city proud is the way it looks after its people, not huge stickers on the side of lorries telling people that they are proud"
well said but
that wouldnt help with the brainwashing tho.”