Glastonbury Councillor Alan Gloak Speaks Out Over Spending Cuts

9th November 2010

"The budget has dominated Somerset County Council’s discussions in the last couple of months. Last week there was a marathon 9 hour meeting of Scrutiny in Taunton. Most of us did not receive the Scrutiny papers until the actual day of the meeting, which were 108 pages long. On Monday the 1st of

November there was a Special Cabinet Meeting to discuss the same, which was at least over by 3 pm (only 5 hours.)

The Leader of Somerset County Council admitted on October 1st. that he was not good at sums, quite a worrying statement for someone in charge of Somerset County Council! People have asked me what the cuts will mean for services in our area. Here are just a few that affect the issues you often raised with me in our area for tasters:

· County PCSO funding to be cut by 97%.

· Cut funding to Somerset Rural Youth Project which includes Moped Loans

Scheme

· Cut subsidy to bus routes further (all but 19 of the 205 services aresubsidised.) Bus services will be halved.

· County Ticket for 16-18 year olds to be increased by £80, despite bus services being cut drastically.

· 8 Household Waste Recycling Centre to close over 2 years.

· Charges for gas bottles, rubble etc. taken to HRWC’s.

· Verge cuttings to be reduced to one per year on A and B roads.

· No weed killing at all.

· Only large, deep pot holes will be filled

· Reductions in Rights of Way services, planning enforcement, minerals and waste planning

· Reduce drainage emptying to every two years. Will not replace broken drainage or clear gullies.

· Less resurfacing and top dressing – Capital program to be halved or reduced further than that. Was at £24 million per annum

· Ending of the funding for Parish Lengthsman Scheme (but possibly not next year.)

· Animal Welfare to be cut

· 100% cut in Arts Grant Funding, affecting Take Art!, which has brought so much live performance to our villages, plus 9 other bodies including Merlin and Strode Theatre, e.g.

· 75% cut in Youth Budget, closure of Youth Centres.

· 100% cut to CVS and Community Council of Somerset

· Up to 75% cuts in funding for some of Children & Young People’s

Directorate services for schools.

· Cuts in Adult Social Care\Supporting People Budget – consultation started on moving the criteria for Home Helps from moderate need to substantial need for the elderly and disabled

· Cuts in Children’s Social Care\AEN\SEN

· Closure\restrictions in hours Library’s are open. Further consultation ongoing.

Thousands of jobs are to go in the County and staff morale is at an all time low. Staff already have a three year pay freeze and some will be facing large pay cuts, and changes to their pay and conditions, lowering of redundancy pay etc. Vacancies have not been filled.

The Liberal Democrats recognise that cuts have to be made, but other Conservative run Councils, with much more debt than Somerset County Council are faced with the same pressures and are not cutting so savagely, so quickly and over only three years. We have called repeatedly for the Tory administration to have the cuts over 4 years. We have also called for the Cabinet to wait for 5 weeks to see exactly what cuts are necessary.

As for Mendip District Council, there seems to have been little or no public discussion on the budget to date.

I am somewhat concerned that the Chief Executive for Somerset County Council sent out a letter by e-mail to Town & Parish Councils just after the Cabinet meeting on Monday of this week

The letter calls upon Town & Parish Councils to consider using their precepting powers to fund services on a local level that can no longer be afforded by Somerset County Council. This is not the way to run a county either the CC are going to do the job for which they were elected or they should step down and let others get on with it.

I can understand the need for a call to work together with the District Councils and Town and Parish Councils, but why has this not been happening since June 2009? Why the current distraction at County Hall and the Tory Cabinet decided not to work closely with the District Councils before now?

We all knew that some cuts would be necessary.”

I am appalled. This is Tory cost shunting to Parishes and Towns who also have severe challenges in their budgets. Given the decisions made by the Tory Administration on Monday with 100% cuts to funding for the Community Council for Somerset and the CVS it will be difficult to get volunteers organised for services that will be cut! So much for big society in Somerset. This is unacceptable and especially as there is little to no time to respond given precepting deadlines.”

At the Scrutiny meeting last week we asked for assurances that details of

the cuts would be sent to Parish & Town Councils, so that they were aware of the full situation. It seems as though no detail has been sent – just a straight forward demand for Parishes and Towns to cover the costs of Tory cutting. I call upon the Chief Executive to get full details of the cuts that will affect local people into the public domain immediately.”

“It cannot be right that the Tories on the County Council are saying that there will be no increase in that part of the Council Tax - but calling on others to put up their Council Tax!”

I am sorry that this report is so political but may be the time has come to say enough is enough."