Cuts could mean many years of pain
Years of job losses and service cuts are in store as the county council cuts another £100m from its budget over the next four years.
Despite already cutting hundreds of jobs, switching off half the county’s street lights and all its speed cameras, slashing bus subsidies and calling up an army of volunteers to run libraries to help save £69m this year, the county council yesterday announced it needs to save a further £100m by 2016.
Chief executive Dr Paul Blantern said: “This is the new status quo – continually cutting back in terms of public expenditure.”
The council will try to save £31m next year by sharing and bidding for services with other local authorities and finding new ways to offer some services.
However, more job losses are inevitable.
County council cabinet member for finance Bill Parker said: “Clearly if we do make savings it will involve people at some point.”
When setting this year’s budget the council estimated it would have to save £136m between 2011-12 and 2014-15.
But despite already saving £69m this year, another £33m needs to be found by 2015-16. The council will set out a four-year savings plan in December.
It blamed the continuing cuts on reduced grant funding as the Government deals with the national deficit, compounded by the rising cost of caring for the county’s ageing population and increasing number of children in care.
And the cuts may have to continue after 2015-16.
Council leader Jim Harker said: “I don’t think there’s a point when you can’t cut any more.”
Lib Dem deputy leader Chris Stanbra said: “There will be job losses and if the Tories can’t privatise it, they’ll cut it.”
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Comments
There are 21 comments to this article
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Centralian
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 09:28 AMAtilliator you've got it right there. Its one big ego trip, and there's nobody loves Jim Harker more than himself. The days of being elected onto councils for the public good are long gone.
John Downes
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 02:02 AMHarker and two other councillors were behind a wasteful magazine that was being delivered to everyone's house until quite recently. Since none of their staff can string two sentences together, why are councils publishing their own magazines? Could it be that the councillors and their staff are on huge ego trips that cost the taxpayer millions each year? No one wants Northamptonshire County Council. No one needs them. No one likes them. Close the place down. Toss their lazy, feckless staff on the dole, where they will cost less to keep and will do less damage.
ruby123
Tuesday, October 11, 2011 at 09:07 PMThe Cornwall lady should be told in no uncertain terms she is surplus to requirements. She will not be travelling up here just to attend a meeting and going back. there will be an overnight stay mixed in with visits to friends and family all on expenses. It really is immoral that hard working people of the county should have to fund this. It would be cheaper if she phoned into the meeting and her phone bill covering that meeting was refunded.
jasp64
Tuesday, October 11, 2011 at 08:20 PMMr Harker would never use his bus pass as public transport is beneath him also he knows he would get mobbed Apparently the councillor who moved to Cornwall still claims £7k per year as a backbencher at County Hall
ruby123
Tuesday, October 11, 2011 at 07:47 PMIf Mr Harker resigned his position. Someone else could do his job and claim half the expenses and it would be a decent living wage. This man claims a fortune in travel expenses but has a bus pass he could use. It really is time for him to retire. We need new blood, new ideas and a new direction. We have been left with the same old same old.
Centralian
Tuesday, October 11, 2011 at 06:53 PMIt might help if people saw Cllr Harker taking a good sized cut in his allowances and expenses. There's a county councillor from the other side of Northampton who has moved to live in Cornwall but is not resigning her seat. I think that shows what a lucrative racket these people are on.
Rikmeister
Tuesday, October 11, 2011 at 03:27 PMEven though we are not in the Eurozone we are still open to help bale it out. All of these cuts will ultimately be wasted on baling out Euro countries. We will all have suffered for nothing. Mark my words. There is a far worse financial problem coming over the horizon for everyone.!
Mark Dragilocevic
Tuesday, October 11, 2011 at 03:16 PMI can appreciate that cuts need to be made and I am broadly supportive of the Coalition's deficit reduction plan. However, all council workers and particularly the high-earning executives such as Jim Harker need to receive a forced pay cut and a reduction in the expenses they can claim. Using taxpayers money to fund taxi travel whilst cutting local services at the same time is a great source of justifiable public anger. I appreciate that NCC need to save money on providing services, and I'm sure the people of Northamptonshire realise this. However, all cost cutting should begin with those at the top - lower salaries, lower expense allowances and less waste at County Hall. It is immoral to hit the poorest and most vulnerable members of society first.
maccy
Tuesday, October 11, 2011 at 02:12 PMisn't it time jim harker resigned, a few months ago there was reports of councty councillors claiming expenses for taking taxi's to meetings, surely all these things have to be cut, secoundly cut the number of coucillor's, third bar councillors from sitting on both county and borough counils, some of them are earning a fortune doing this.
Subcomandante
Tuesday, October 11, 2011 at 02:10 PMI would love to see Harker lose his seat at the next County elections, his arrogance is astounding. Kettering Rural, do us all a favour !
trucker
Tuesday, October 11, 2011 at 02:02 PMit wont affect harker and his fellow cronies ,as they do not give a toss about us and as for the govmnt ,they are all the same
Fenrir1
Tuesday, October 11, 2011 at 01:57 PMWe should not be allowing the government of any colour and at whatever level to have a fraction of the money they take from us by force. Taxes need to come down dramatically leaving money where it belongs in the pockets of those who earn it to dispose of as the choose.
Rush2
Tuesday, October 11, 2011 at 01:16 PMIf we got rid of the Mayor and sold off all the cars, we could use this money in much better ways. Time for the working classes to take over and be rid of the leeches...
Rush2
Tuesday, October 11, 2011 at 01:11 PMPut all the councillors on the basic minimum wage and I am sure we can do without 60-70% of them!
Sledging
Tuesday, October 11, 2011 at 01:07 PMI would get a long jail term if I said what I BELIEVE to be true about these people and was proven wrong. I don't think so though. I despise these people. Self serving pigs the lot of them.
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