Tory fury over Wirral neighbourhood funding cuts (From Wirral Globe)
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Tory fury over Wirral neighbourhood funding cuts
3:35pm Monday 17th September 2012 in News
Tory group leader Jeff Green
CUTS designed to halt a major budget overspend by Wirral Council have “gone too far” according to a leading local politician.
It has been revealed that included in the cuts is stopping the funding for Wirral’s are forums- possibly up to £1m.
Tory group leader Jeff Green said the ruling Labour group and the town hall’s new chief officer have got their priorities wrong - as they have also agreed to pump £200,000 into improving the council’s human resources department.
Councillors were informed of the decision to slash funding to the neighbourhood groups by an email from chief executive Grahame Burgess, who took the helm in at the beginning of September.
In it, Mr Burgess states that based on spend over the past three months if urgent action is not taken, the authority could face an overspend of around £17m by the end of the current financial year. It continues: “We have had to take immediate action, which includes freezing all non-essential spending and releasing reserves we no longer require.
“I feel one particular difficult decision which you will wish to be aware of is that council have taken the extremely difficult decision to suspend the ‘Neighbourhood Funding’ grants programme until we are in a position to make a definite decision on whether we can still afford it.
“This includes bids from community organisations as well as the additional programme of road safety works which have been scheduled with colleagues from technical services. [20 mph zones].
And it concludes: “I know that you have all spent considerable time working with community organisations, residents and council colleagues on this programme of activity. Regrettably, the financial realities that the council is facing mean that it is currently unavoidable.”
But Cllr Jeff Green is unhappy, both with the method of communicating the forum cuts and with the town hall’s apparent priorities.
He said: “When the council has just announced its intention to spend £200,000 on HR officers, to cut the neighbourhood funding is outrageous.
“And there’s not much transparency in the decision-making process when we all get told in an email that it’s been deemed a‘non-essential’ cost and therefore is suspended.
“A lot of people have put a lot of work into bidding for this funding, which could be anything up to £1m, and it’ll come as real slap in the face for them.”
Council leader Cllr Phil Davies hit back, saying: “For too long this council has failed to take decisive action to tackle the budget problem caused by swinging cuts to our funding from the Government Jeff Green supports.
“If we fail to properly examine all our spending we will abdicate our responsibility to those residents who need our services the most.
“This funding has not been ‘slashed’ - it has been suspended until we can ensure that our budget position is both legal and responsible and that we have consulted properly with residents on the best way forward.
“Doing nothing would be grossly irresponsible and this is just cheap politics, not the mature debate we have been promised.”
Comments(13)
Ben Beaconsfield
says...
6:21pm Mon 17 Sep 12
Quote: "Tory leader Cllr Jeff Green promised to support the ruling (Labour) administration in making the necessary changes."
Wirral Globe, 7th September 2012.
council officer
says...
6:57pm Mon 17 Sep 12
briandrummond
says...
10:44pm Mon 17 Sep 12
council officer wrote:Community groups need to learn to stand on their own free from handouts. The government is legislating to encourage them to generate income through delivering services for their community so let's see if they are up to the task. The days of a free meal ticket are long gone.
Umm, it's not easy deciding what savings can be made. However, may I suggest that enough savings could be made from other areas rather than cut community funding for this year. Promises have even made and maybe the Council could work with its community groups on how nex years funding could be managed. By the way, this a big slap in the face of the department leading on the financial consultation as they also manage the area forum funding...oops!
uncatom
says...
10:35am Tue 18 Sep 12
Mrs WFL
says...
1:20pm Tue 18 Sep 12
woodyres2
says...
1:29pm Tue 18 Sep 12
briandrummond wrote:Yes, don't you think we know that Brian ? I do agree with what you say, but even attempting to do that at the moment is difficult. It's just not a level playing field .... I will try to explain.
council officer wrote: Umm, it's not easy deciding what savings can be made. However, may I suggest that enough savings could be made from other areas rather than cut community funding for this year. Promises have even made and maybe the Council could work with its community groups on how nex years funding could be managed. By the way, this a big slap in the face of the department leading on the financial consultation as they also manage the area forum funding...oops!Community groups need to learn to stand on their own free from handouts. The government is legislating to encourage them to generate income through delivering services for their community so let's see if they are up to the task. The days of a free meal ticket are long gone.
The government launched it's asset transfer scheme some years ago to transfer community centres to community control exactly for that purpose.
Money for renovations to make the centres "fit for purpose" after many years of no investment by the council, as well as some revenue money for the first few years is from a community fund via Wirral Partnership Homes. The current fund amount was declared in a cabinet report as over 3 million pounds, which the Council have in their reserves.
The Woodchurch Community Centre (which was due for closure) was accepted for asset transfer in August 2011, the business plan from the community centre management committee was submitted in time for all the deadlines, and accepted by cabinet. Yet, here we are a year down the line and this has not progressed.
For volunteers, who worked hard to create the plan are in effect running the centre for the Council, this has been a struggle. We wonder if this is ever going to happen and despite involvement from our local Councillors, we wonder if we are ever going to be given the opportunity to create a community led centre here in Woodchurch.
We really don't want the free meal ticket - we want the chance to do this for ourselves.
Witch Finder General 2
says...
1:31pm Tue 18 Sep 12
David Green Technical Director made redundant ,gets redundancy pay,three new directors created ,just carry on as normal.
JohnON
says...
8:17am Wed 19 Sep 12
So, here we go. Despite assurances to the contrary immediately following the local elections, it seems pretty obvious that our Council will be using every opportunity it can to attempt to discredit the Government.
When financial decisions are made with such vehement political motivation, it doesn't bode well for those of us on the receiving end between now and the next General Election.
ordinary personn
says...
7:20pm Wed 19 Sep 12
briandrummond wrote:Brian - as woodyres says community groups don't expect "a free meal ticket" but it is important to offer them support until they are fully able to stand alone.
council officer wrote: Umm, it's not easy deciding what savings can be made. However, may I suggest that enough savings could be made from other areas rather than cut community funding for this year. Promises have even made and maybe the Council could work with its community groups on how nex years funding could be managed. By the way, this a big slap in the face of the department leading on the financial consultation as they also manage the area forum funding...oops!Community groups need to learn to stand on their own free from handouts. The government is legislating to encourage them to generate income through delivering services for their community so let's see if they are up to the task. The days of a free meal ticket are long gone.
.
If it was not for community groups a good many services would not continue. Indeed, in some instances they run things FOC that councils would have to pay for - I wouldn't call that expecting a meal ticket, I'd call it saving the council money!
.
If people are looking to get rid of meal tickets as uncatom says scrap funding to TRFC which is a private company. And I don't hold with the usual guff people spout to defend the sponsorship i.e. it is good advertising for Wirral. My mate has a company that makes deliveries across the whole of the UK - so if the council wants to sponsor private companies I'm sure he will put adverts for Wirral on his vans for far less that it costs to advertise on football shirts!
council officer
says...
8:35pm Fri 21 Sep 12
briandrummond wrote:I don't see it as a handout. I see it as the community delivering services on behalf of the council usually at half the cost. Where's your community spirit Brian?
council officer wrote:Community groups need to learn to stand on their own free from handouts. The government is legislating to encourage them to generate income through delivering services for their community so let's see if they are up to the task. The days of a free meal ticket are long gone.
Umm, it's not easy deciding what savings can be made. However, may I suggest that enough savings could be made from other areas rather than cut community funding for this year. Promises have even made and maybe the Council could work with its community groups on how nex years funding could be managed. By the way, this a big slap in the face of the department leading on the financial consultation as they also manage the area forum funding...oops!
EddieGremlin
says...
6:55pm Sat 22 Sep 12
antisthenes
says...
7:08pm Sun 23 Sep 12
Brian, the neighbourhood grants are intended for constituted community groups; local small scale groups run by volunteers and not for larger service providing charities and social enterprises with no employees.
The Community Right to Challenge legislation to which you refer was never intended for local community based volunteer led groups.
Such groups run are run by low flying heroes who unlike the spendthrift council are adept at making a little go a long way.
Local community based groups use these small grants to support some of the most vulnerable and isolated members of our community.
By helping people who might otherwiswe make a call on Council services local volunteers actually save the council tax payer
I know of several such groups that run lunch clubs for elders within our community.
I for one am more than happy that a miniscule proportion of my council tax actually helps these groups to provide isolated older people with a 'free meal ticket'
Hugo1008 says...
6:14pm Mon 17 Sep 12
Nearly All the 66 councillors were complicit in the terrible actions that took place, plus at least one totally direputable Mayor, yet even in the brief period you held the reins, you did nothing.
Plus you made no public declarations of the disgraceful pay offs pocketed by the guilty ones you knew all about,.
Why not set an example and start by being Honest, and Open with your inside knowledge, regarless of Party Politics.