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Children's services may suffer under Middlesbrough Council budget cut plans
4:09pm Friday 7th October 2011 in News
CHILDREN’s services could suffer under Middlesbrough Council proposals to cut almost £14m from next year’s budget.
Lanehead Outdoor Education Centre could close resulting in a saving of £87,000 and fewer social work agencies could be used to train and recruit foster carers saving £150,000.
The reduction of support services funded by the council to schools such as behaviour, language, attendance and careers support has been suggested which would cut £150,000 from the bill as has curbing the cost of Special Educational Needs by providing better support to children and young people at an early stage resulting in the reduction of approximately six posts and a saving of £500,000.
Youth and community centres could close at Grove Hill, Beechwood, Kader, North Ormesby, Thorntree, North Ormesby, Newport and Brambles Farm. Libraries may shut in Grove Hill, Easterside, Marton and Thorntree as well as eight Sure Start Children’s Centres.
The town is being forced to save £13.8 next during 2012/13, as part of a four-year cost-cutting drive to reduce is budget by £50m as a result of the Government’s Comprehensive Spending Review. He has said he accepts proposals were hard-hitting but necessary in the present climate.
The proposals are now subject to a six-week public consultation process which will run until Friday, November 18.
Residents can comment online at middlesbrough.gov.uk, email budget@middlesbrough.gov.uk, or writing to Budget Consultation, Middlesbrough Council, Civic Centre, PO Box 506, Middlesbrough, TS1 9GA.
Middlesbrough Council Meeting
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Ray Mallon
Elected Mayor
Budget Reduction Proposals
2012/2013
ENVIRONMENT
1. Cease current funding for the Shopmobility service, which will save £40,000.
2. Cease all current subsidised bus services, which will save £60,000.
3. Reduce the number of Street Wardens by approximately 16 posts, which will save £450,000.
4. Introduce a £20.00 charge for Residents Parking Permits, which will result in income generation of £100,000.
5. Increase allotment charges to £60.00 per annum for full sized plots and remove concessions, which will result in income generation of £20,000.
6. Introduce a £10.00 charge for all “junk jobs” which will result in income generation of £150,000.
7. Reduce the Environmental Education Service by approximately 2-3 posts, which will save £50,000.
8. Reduce budgets for streetscene, countryside management, street lighting and highways, which will result in up to 21 front-line posts being lost and around 10% reduction in standards, with a saving of £525,000.
9. Close the Council depots at Lloyd Street and Prissick and the land sites be offered for sale.
10. All service units from Lloyd Street, Prissick and Stewart Park be relocated to Cargo Fleet Lane depot with a saving of £150,000.
REGENERATION
11. Reduce the library service Book Fund, which will save £50,000.
12. Close the mobile library service, which will save £50,000.
13. Reduce library management by the equivalent of 1.5 posts, which will save £36,000.
14. Reduce the Council’s contribution to Tees Valley Unlimited, which will save £59,000.
15. Reduce the Council’s contribution to the Stockton / Middlesbrough Initiative, which will save £38,000.
16. Withdraw from the Tees Archaeology Service, which will save £23,000.
17. Reduction in staffing in mima and museums to the equivalent of 1 post, which will save £25,000.
18. Reduce Council Officer support to Community Councils to the equivalent of 1 post, which will save £20,000.
19. Reduce Community Council Annual Grant allocation to £500 per Community Council, which will save £60,000.
20. Reduce financial support to public events, which will save £15,000.
21. Remove the Big Screen after the completion of the Olympic Games which will save £15,000.
22. Reduction to the equivalent of 1 post in Culture and Events Section and savings through a new box office system, which will save £20,000.
23. Reduction to the equivalent of 1 post in the Town Centre Management team plus associated marketing costs which will save £45,000.
SOCIAL CARE
24. Reduction of 3 posts within the Community Inclusion Service, which will save £100,000.
25. Obtain increased income and contributions from Health, in providing residential support to people at risk leaving hospital, which will result in income generation of £200,000.
26. Secure a price freeze on residential and non-residential service care contracts, which have a current value of £25m. This will result in a saving of £1.1m.
27. Introduce an Information Technology system that automates administrative processes. This will result in the loss of 8-10 posts, which will result in a saving of £100,000.
28. Close the Dial a Ride service, which will mean the loss of approximately 4 driver posts and result in a saving of £250,000.
29. Introduce contributions for the supply of “everyday” equipment such as special cutlery sets etc to people suffering from disability, which will result in income generation of £50,000.
30. Reduce personal care package costs on the basis of need, which will result in savings of £200,000.
THE PARTNERSHIP
31. Reduce service provision across all services provided by Mouchel, which will result in a saving of £399,000. This will include efficiency savings from technology and from the corporate review of administration.
32. Terminate the external lease of Rede House and relocate staff, which will result in a saving of £282,000.
STRATGEIC RESOURCES
33. Merge the Financial Planning and Procurement teams, which will result in a saving of £159,000.
34. Merge ex-Mouchel and Council accountancy staff, which will result in a saving of £190,000.
35. Reduction in at least 2 Asset Management posts within the TAD and Enterprise Centres, which will result in a saving of £37,000.
36. Reduction to the equivalent of 1 post within the caretaking section, which will result in a saving of £13,000.
37. Reduction to the equivalent of 1 post due to the merger of CFL Asset Management and Corporate Asset Management, which will result in a saving of £16,000.
38. External audit fees to be reduced, which will result in a saving of £20,000.
39. Reduction in the Audit Plan specifications, which will result in a saving of £25,000.
40. Reduce the frequency of cleaning of all Council buildings and therefore reduce the number of posts by approximately 15 FTE, which will result in a saving of £250,000.
41. Reduce the costs of maintaining all Council buildings in the following areas, which will result in a saving of £363,000:
• Repairs and maintenance
• Ensuring buildings are more energy efficient
• Improving the procurement of building services
CHILDREN FAMILIES AND LEARNING
42. Close Lanehead Outdoor Education Centre which will result in a saving of £87,000.
43. Reduce the support services funded by the Council to schools (e.g. behaviour, language, attendance and careers support), which will result in a saving of £150,000.
44. Reduce the cost of Special Educational Needs by providing better support to children and young people at an early stage. This will result in the reduction of approximately 6 posts and a saving of £500,000.
45. Reduce the costs of long term placements by using part of Gleneagles as a provider of long term residential care, which will result in a saving of £350,000.
46. Joint Council working in the training and recruitment of foster carers and reducing costs associated with the use of social work agencies, which will result in savings of £150,000.
47. Price freeze and contract savings from the renewal of Residential Care contracts, which have a current value of £1.1m. This will result in a saving of £90,000.
LEGAL AND DEMOCRATIC SERVICES
48. Reduction in the working hours of the Members Office Manager and other non-staffing savings, which will result in a saving of £50,000.
CHIEF EXECUTIVE AND ASSISTANT CHIEF EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT
49. Reduce the numbers of staff up to approximately 6 posts, which will result in a saving of between £70,000 and £110,000.
50. Reduce ICT costs and corporate training and remove long service awards and Middlesbrough News/Middlesbrough Matters. This will result in a saving of £78,000.
SENIOR MANAGEMENT
51. Reduce further the number of senior managers and support by approximately 30 posts across the Council, which will result in a saving of £1,525,000.
COMMUNITY BUILDINGS AND SERVICES
52. Close Grove Hill Youth & Community Centre.
53. Close Beechwood Youth & Community Centre.
54. Close Kader Youth & Community Centre.
55. Close North Ormesby Youth & Community Centre.
56. Close Thorntree Youth Centre.
57. Close Newport Neighbourhood Centre.
58. End the Council lease for Park End Community Centre.
59. Close Brambles Farm Community Centre.
60. Close Grove Hill Library.
61. Close Easterside Library.
62. Close Marton Library.
63. Close Thorntree Library.
64. Close Coulby Newham Childrens Centre, which is based at Rosewood, St Augustine’s and The Avenue Primary Schools.
65. Close Acklam Childrens Centre, which is based at Green Lane and Newham Bridge Primary Schools.
66. Close Breckon Hill Childrens Centre.
67. Close Brookfield / Kader Childrens Centre, which is based at Acklam Whin and Kader Primary Schools.
68. Close Childrens Centre venue at Archibald Primary School.
69. Close Childrens Centre venue at Newport Primary School.
70. Close Childrens Centre venue at Thorntree Primary School.
71. Close Childrens Centre venue at Brambles Farm Primary School.
72. Close Mill Hill Recreation Pavilion.
73. Close Thorntree Park Pavilion.
74. Close Middlesbrough Deaf Centre.
75. Withdraw the subsidy from Langdon Square Community Centre.
76. Close the Southlands and Pallister Park Centres and relocate their indoor leisure provision to the Neptune Centre. The existing outdoor sports facilities will continue to be available for public use. (The Joe Waltons brand will be retained). The Council will work with those businesses currently based at the Southlands Centre in identifying alternative premises.
77. Close Clairville Stadium and offer the land for sale.
78. Close Tennis World and offer the land for sale. All land receipts from the sale of the Clairville Stadium and Tennis World sites, to be used for the development of a Sports Village, which should be located if possible on the Prissick site. This will not form part of any budget proposals during 2012/2013 but will be advanced within 2014.
Many of the services provided by the Council will now be delivered from alternative locations and where possible, many different services will be provided from one location covering one specific locality in the town. In addition, in some service areas the service delivery will be reconfigured and rationalised. In addition where possible, the Council and our partner organisations will supply services from the same location.
The closure of buildings is estimated to save the Council approximately £1.5m of which £500,000 relates to building costs and £1m relates to staffing and other associated costs.
http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/9 ... cut_plans/
