Each year, Labour county councillor, Geoff Lumley, prepares an alternative budget to the ruling party’s budget proposal.
This year is no exception, with Geoff submitting his seventh consecutive Budget amendment.
In this year’s submission, Geoff says that he has uncovered one of the hidden ‘pots of gold’ he referred to at last year’s Budget meeting to fund the restoration of proposed cuts.
He states that he’ll support a freeze in Council Tax this year, but “will propose that unused Council pension contributions of £350,000 together with a further cutback in the use of Agency staff of £145,000 are used to fund the Tory savings he wishes to restore.”
Reinvesting and restoring
These include ….
- Re-investing all savings from the current Youth Services review back into youth services;
- Abandoning a potentially damaging Regulatory Services review:
- Restoring the proposed Children’s Centre savings;
- Removing Bereavement Services charge increases above inflation;
- Restoring a management of Rights of Way post.
Attempt to remove damaging unpopular Tory proposals
Geoff said, “As ever I have discussed the Tory leadership’s proposals with local people and local party colleagues. As a consequence I am submitting a budget amendment proposal once again in an attempt to remove a few of the more damaging and unpopular Tory proposals.
“I am able to do this largely by doing what I said could be done last year”¦”¦. By identifying money that is saved each year, but is not offered up for budget savings. What I referred to as ‘hidden pots of gold’. I offered to do this with Tory backbenchers last year, but they were not allowed to work with me by their leadership. I have identified that more than a third of a £million is saved in budgeted pension contributions each year through staff not joining the pension scheme.”
Reinvest the pre-election war chest
Geoff went on to say, “Additionally I remain unconvinced that the Council leadership will only underspend £1.8 million this year. To that end I am proposing that any additional underspend should be re-allocated by Full Council in June rather than left for a pre-election war chest next February.
“And I am frankly appalled that next year they want to use £ONE MILLION of the currently forecast underspend just to prepare for procuring the next waste disposal contract from 2015. I am instead proposing, very generously in my view, that that figure is halved. And the remainder be set aside to top-up the savagely reduced capital budget for disabled facilities grants next year. A grant that many older and disabled households on the Island are increasingly dependent on, and which in recent times has seen some very long waiting lists.
“Other than that I will be proposing support for a Council Tax freeze next year in recognition of the very difficult times ordinary people are going through after the bank crash of 2008.”
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