Truth behind the council’s budget
Corby International Swimming Pool Thursday 9th February 2012
They do say a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.
That doesn’t stop Conservative councillors criticising Corby Council’s budget.
A budget driven by the need to make savings forced on us by the very coalition Government these councillors support.
However, overcoming a reluctance to spoil a good story with some facts we would like to correct some inaccuracies that one can only assume are made to deliberately mislead the residents of Corby.
The council’s books are balanced for 2012-13. We have had to find £1.5m of savings to do this and it has been achieved without cuts to frontline services and no rise in council tax. £71m is being borrowed to purchase the council’s housing stock from the Conservative-led Government. We have no choice but to do this. Along with councils up and down the country it has been forced on us by Government. Interest payments of £2m per year on this £71m are, however, less than the contribution we would otherwise have made to Government. So a small saving there.
There are no cuts to frontline services and to say otherwise is misleading. PCSOs and the Happenin’ Project are continuing to be supported next year, as they are this. Many Conservative councils within Northamptonshire, including the county, are cutting PCSO funding. Compare Corby Council’s actions with the Tory led County and Government. Real cuts to benefits, health care, education, libraries, disability services, lollipop crossing staff and, of course, street lights. Whilst this bonfire of cuts goes on bankers continue to pay themselves massive bonuses.
To claim that Corby Council is making 12 compulsory redundancies is simply untrue. Like many other councils we have been forced into reducing staff numbers – two in our case.
However, because of strong political leadership, planning and previous investment in our facilities and community most of our savings are being made by increased income.
This council is borrowing because it has invested in Corby. The borrowing is affordable and contained within budget. It is this investment that has helped turn Corby around and has allowed it to become a place to be proud of.
It is disappointing that the Conservative group are trying to mislead the residents of Corby for political gain.
It is our belief that the balancing of the budget, while protecting frontline services, is a major achievement and testament to the dedication and hard work of our council staff.
Local Government is going through a period of tremendous change, again driven by the policies of central Government. In order to help councillors understand this change and its implications we regularly hold seminars and briefing sessions. Conservative councillors rarely, if ever, turn up for them. Maybe that explains their ignorance over their own Government’s housing stock buyout policy. Or maybe they are being just plain disingenuous!
If anyone is letting the people of Corby down it is them.
Tom Beattie
Leader, Corby Council
Mark Pengelly
Deputy Leader,
Corby Council
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Comments
There are 15 comments to this article
Page 1 of 1
ConcernedOfCorby
Monday, February 27, 2012 at 11:39 PMRob Meckellar's £400 per year doesn't really annoy me, but Corby Labour voting against reducing allowances does!
baldegale
Monday, February 27, 2012 at 10:29 AMYet again I will ask you Rob McKellar Tell us If you are going to hand all or 10% of your allowance back to the people in your ward just yes or No will do As it was in your Manifesto There was no Word about IF the Labour CBC would do So as well You Say that CBC have double standers Then I can Clam the same about you Manifesto And do you Speak all your Party !! as your Not the leader Mr David Sims I believe And just how many meeting do you and your Party attend on our behalf As my Vote Is in the air ????
LabourOut
Saturday, February 25, 2012 at 07:42 PM@ray rotten, the meetings your referring to take place when they are at work, an alien concept to Labour councillors.
Ray Rodden
Saturday, February 25, 2012 at 01:05 PM@labourout if they couldn't attend meetings then why did they stand for election. if you make the commitment you fulfil it or walk away and let someone else do the job
LabourOut
Thursday, February 23, 2012 at 11:28 PMWhat a completely cheap shot by Beattie and Pengelly ( but that doesn't surprise anybody) there are 21 labour councillors and 4 Tory councillors , how can they attend every meeting and briefing. Especially when they live in the real world of employment, unlike many of the Labour councillors who are ex shop stewards who wouldn't know a days work if it hit them between the eyes.
RobMckellar
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 03:42 PMRay Rodden - The letter from the Leader and Deputy Leader is misleading over the Happenin' Project. The scheme will remain in place but the level of service provided and area covered are both being reduced. It is all there in the budget in black and white.
gemmac
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 11:22 AMservers, i mean
gemmac
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 11:22 AMYes Stupor-man We need competent people in local government, not "long-time severs". My father had a house built some years ago, he agreed a price with a builder to build it. When my previous boss had a new factory built he agreed a price of £7.5m to build it, and it was built 2months early, and cost £7.5m plus a bonus. In the real world, things work like this. With local govt, on a never ending budget, the idiots cannot do this. Why not??? Again, in the real world, you employ a manager to manage, you dont then pay out money for consultants to help do hisher job. I am not just talking about Corby, i am talking in general. How many other jobs can the leader dissappear for 23 months, whether voluntarily or not??? i have meet many councillors in my professional capacity over 30 years, and i can say i have never met one who would survive, or worth employing in the private sector ( frontline staff excluded, as they work damn hard)
Stupor-man
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 10:21 AM@gemmac I honestly didnt know there were ivory towers on the Shire lodge estate where the Corby Council leader lives. Unless of course you mean hypothetical ivory towers, then in which case, could you please tell me, how your vision of the world is oh so much more "real" than anyone elses.
LabourOut
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 01:08 AMWhen is a cut of £1.5 million not a cut of £1.5 million, when it's a Labour saving of £1.5 million pounds. Presumably this £1.5 million was doing nothing in the council it was just lying around taking up space and in the end the council got fed up and threw it out. Labour want it both ways. They show they are on rocky ground by diverting the attention to Northants County Council. The question was about Corby's budget.
Ray Rodden
Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 03:48 PMComment 2 from Cllr McKellar states they are cutting the happenin' project?? Obviously he can't actually be bothered to READ the letter from Cllr Beattie in which it states the council IS NOT doing so (paragraph 5) - Perhaps if the Tories on the council attended their briefings and took the time to READ what is in front of them they wouldn't make such abject fools of themselves. His comment just reinforces what Cllrs Beattie and Pengelly have said about the tories in the letter
gemmac
Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 09:30 AMRobMcKellar, you are right, Labour spout on about how good the improvements are, but they have to affordable, but then thats what Gordon Brown was all about, at the height of employment, he was spending £5 for every £4 coming in, but we have new schools and council buildings we will pay for over the next 50 years. With regards to the cube, these people in councils have to hide behind their inexperience and stupidity. There can be no reeason why the people who paid for the Cube (us) should not be allowed to see the accounts. These people at council have no idea of the real world though, they sit in their Ivory towers with complete job security
Beanfield Beast
Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 01:08 AMHaving seen correspondence in the paper and on this website over the last few years, it would seem that the Conservative Council citizens are unhappier than the Labour ones are here. We're getting nicer things and sure, we're paying for them, but you don't get things for free. Or you could take the Kettering and Wellingborough approach of sitting on your hands, still paying but getting nothing in return. Money's very important, but it isn't the only measure of success and happiness. Unless you're a Conservative it seems.
RobMckellar
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 07:50 PMCorby Borough Council is cutting £1.5M from frontline services. It is no co-incidence that this is the same figure that is required annually to service the council's dangerous levels of borrowing. Had the Labour administration not borrowed beyond its means through overspending by £10M on the Corby Cube there would be no need for them to be cutting the Core Theatre, the Safer Community Wardens and the Happenin' Project Play Scheme. The Labour administration are trying to keep people in the dark over the budget, over the Kingswood Scandal, over the Chief Executive and over Cube failure. It is time they came clean with the people of the Borough. The council should release the information on the Cube and should release it NOW.
Ray Rodden
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 04:03 PMThanks for the clarification. Next the tories will blame Corby council for rises in council rents without aknowledging the fact that Central government has forced the council to put up rents above inflation so that they match rents paid by Housing associations. (and yes, this was also a policy of previous Central government but it is still wrong to blame our local councillors for something over which they have no control). One last issue that needs clarified. WHEN is Chris Mallender returning as CEO of our council? His positive contribution to Corby has been enormous. We NEED him back at the helm
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