Middlesbrough: cuts

[BoroBot]

This is the 2nd year of a 4-year reduction plan, and back in 2010 we were promised that the cuts would start at the top, that the services the paying public rely upon the most, would be protected.
What makes tough decisions more palatable to take, whether it affects the staff or members of the public, is the ability to outline priorities and place the cuts in order of merit, to give them a common purpose and understanding.
So it’s hard to stomach increases in pay for those at the top.
Whether it is the Chief Executive, Executive Directors or the officers throughout this council, there is a question of honour in all of this; even if there is a contractual opportunity to gain an extra income, it doesn’t mean it has to be accepted.

Pay rises at the top cannot be justified, at a time when the front line staff are told that there won’t be a pay rise again this year, and that their jobs are still under threat; and at a time when members of the public are having to dig deeper into their pockets, yet witness the services they depend upon reduce or disappear altogether.

Last year, officers in charge of the Regeneration department decided to close down the Captain Cook museum for 5 months, to save costs – this was accepted by many of the Councillors present here today. Members of staff were also made redundant.
Now it will need the help of volunteers this year in order to open the museum again. A fee will also be imposed just for the privilege to walk through the doors once more – then the officer right at the very top is due to receive a £5,000 increase on his salary this year.
The rules that govern common sense fail to apply in some parts of this council.

On the same scale it cannot be acceptable for some Councillors being paid around a £1,000 per meeting that they Chair.

Why hasn’t this council undertaken a comprehensive study of its finances, and look at where the spending is going? Myself and an ex-councillor have repeatedly asked, year after year, for a top down zero based budget to take place. It would clearly identify where all the money is being spent, but this request still remains out of the question.
You only have to look at the figures that are available to us in the Service Budget book, figures that immediately jump out and asks the question ‘Exactly what is this money being spent on’?
I’ll give you a few examples;
Stationary - £222,000 (or 0.5% on council tax)
Books, Publications and Printing - £700,000 (or 1.5% on council tax)
Subscriptions - £475,000 (nearly 1% council tax)
Partnership Payments – 72 Million pounds (144% council tax).
I’m not saying that we can cut all of the above, but there are areas that savings can be made.

Another example is the 1.1 Million pounds that has been set aside for car allowances. That’s the equivalent of this council purchasing 110 brand new cars at a cost of £10,000 each.
And yet if we cut just 5% of this allowance then we could save the 18 school crossing patrol staff.

This council has over 1,000 mobile phones on hire to its staff, at a cost of £95,000. Yet if we cut this by 50%, then the specialized cutlery for the disabled can once again be given at no cost.

It’s where priorities come into play and should be at the forefront of each and every cut that is decided.

We cannot ask the people of Middlesbrough to pay more and then receive less, we cannot close a library or community centre down, to tell the public that they have to pay for vital care as you leave a hospital bed, we cannot tell the disabled that they can no longer be provided with specialized cutlery, that used to be provided at no cost, we cannot increase the costs for care in the community, put children at risk, and reduce services and staff such as the Street Wardens.
We cannot justifiably do all that and look the people of Middlesbrough squarely in the eye, until the spending has been studied in fine detail.
Only a top down zero based budget can deliver the cuts that need to be carried out.

[BoroBot]

The Scarlet Pimpernel speaks from Paris

Mr Bell said: "There will be more savings to come and community centres may close,
but hopefully they can be run by the local community.
which local communities - Bell End - helps Middlesbrough Labour Party to demolish them
"It will be hard but the people of Middlesbrough will cope
because we are resilient - we are not softies."

apart from when there's eggs about

6 March 2012 Last updated at 11:10 Council faces £12.8m budget cut
Jobs go at Middlesbrough Council
Middlesbrough Council is to shed 120 jobs in a bid to save £14m over the next 12 months, it has been confirmed.
The budget cuts will mean community centres closing, as well as the dial-a-ride service and Middlesbrough deaf service being axed.
Funding for youth centres and libraries will also be reduced, the council said.
Middlesbrough Labour MP Sir Stuart Bell warned more cuts were to come, but said that locals were "resilient". Mayor Ray Mallon said axing jobs was "difficult".
The authority, which has a Labour majority and is led by independent mayor Ray Mallon, needs to save a total of £50m over the next four years.
Mr Bell said: "There will be more savings to come and community centres may close, but hopefully they can be run by the local community.
"It will be hard but the people of Middlesbrough will cope because we are resilient - we are not softies."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-17270056

[BoroBot]

have Middlesbrough Council wasted another £1.2 m since this head line story

6 October 2011 Last updated at 19:44
Jobs go at Middlesbrough Council
Mayor condemns 'black day' cuts
Job losses and the closure of libraries and sports facilities have been proposed as cost-cutting measures by Middlesbrough Council.
The moves are part of a bid to save £12.8m over the coming year.
About 120 council jobs face the axe over the next 12 months, and this could to rise to a total of 500 by 2015.
No final decision has been taken, and residents have been invited to comment on the options during a six-week public consultation.
Middlesbrough, which has a Labour majority but is led by Independent mayor Ray Mallon, needs to save a total of £50m over the next four years.
The latest savings are on top of £15m already identified for the current financial year.
The authority, which employs about 10,000 people, said it faced an 8.8% cut in government grants.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-15195576

[BoroBot]

Middlesbrough Borough Council is proposing to hike Council Tax by 3.5% from April 2012 at a time when many residents are struggling with the rising cost of living. According to the TaxPayers' Alliance, Council Tax is second only to VAT as the most burdensome tax on the poorest households.
Most local authorities have chosen to freeze rates while some, such as Hammersmith & Fulham and Chorley Borough Council, have chosen to help local residents by actually cutting Council Tax.
Mayor Ray Mallon and his Labour-majority Executive are piling the tax burden on local families already seeing their spending power pushed to the limits.

The TaxPayers' Alliance has published official statistics to put the proposed increases in context and suggest some areas where savings could be made instead:

• Since 2001-02, Middlesbrough residents have seen their Council Tax bills increase by 56%

• Middlesbrough Council paid staff 52.2p per mile for using their cars in 2010/11,
far higher than the HMRC recommended rate of 40p per mile

• The Chief Executive at Middlesbrough Council received total remuneration of £167,471 in 2010/2011

• There were at least 11 staff who received more than £100,000 in remuneration at the Council in 2009/10

• Taxpayers paid, via employer contributions, £16,838,000 to the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
at Middlesbrough

• Councillors' allowances and expenses at Middlesbrough Council cost taxpayers £610,000 in 2010-11

• The estimated cost of Trade Union officials at Middlesbrough Council is £109,950.
These are staff whose time is paid for by the taxpayer while they work for the trade unions.
This does not include the cost of other support provided such as office space or the administration of union fees

Middlesbrough Council have let people down by imposing a big hike in Council Tax on residents. Over the past 13 years, there has been a drastic increase in rates and, with so many other pressures on their finances, this is the last thing families in the town need. Middlesbrough needs to follow the examples set by other local authorities who have shown it is possible to combine quality services with lower bills, and deliver much better value for money.

All Conservative councillors on Middlesbrough Borough Council will be voting against any proposed increase in Council Tax. They will be pressing for the Council to accept the Council Tax freeze offered by central government.

http://southteesconservatives.com/index ... l-tax.html

[BoroBot]

Chris Hudson thinks its amazing how the more council tax we have to pay the less we get for it.
Yesterday at 05:05 • 13

Sean Dixon Does that mean Mallon will be reducing all his press officers ? 7 in total ? Allegedly his mates aswell on 100k a year ????
Yesterday at 05:05 • 14

Kamran Manzur Middlesbrough Council is a joke, they spend about 20 million a year on the most pointless and stupidest things ever...then make the people of the town suffer.
Yesterday at 05:06 • 7

Gareth Aungiers How would Stuart Bell know anything about Middlesbrough? Has he been here recently? (Hint Stuart it's in the North East)
Yesterday at 05:08 • 10

Paul Irish my sister works for the council and has known about theses cuts for over a year she has had to let people go from her department and one of them was a friend she started with at the council over 20 odd years ago , it made her ill to know she had to lay people off and ended up on the sick , the pressure on both sides off the line is unbearable for all of the workers who work for em
Yesterday at 05:09 • 5

Carlea Tierney Its not the councils to blame its the bloody goverment, maybe if we stopped lendin it to other ******* countrys we wouldnt have all these cuts..
Yesterday at 05:14 • 12

Bill Childs No dout Ray mallon will be helping to reduce the wage bill by taking a pay cut him self
Yesterday at 05:14 • 2

Mark Rogers Liam Sunley
hang you're head in shame you prat!
Yesterday at 05:18

Robert Costello i was 1 of them ppl. The way the council run things is rediculas ppl that are working there guts of for the council are the ones that run it not 20 od managers all in 1 building playing solater
Yesterday at 05:19

Andy Franks A council worker working there guts out hmmm
Yesterday at 05:24

Ash Proc How can a community run a youth club etc when most of local communities are unemployed. Pretty sure Mallon is a member of the local communities but I don't see him dipping in to his own pocket to help out!
Yesterday at 05:28 • 1

Julie Wetherell Resilient ha ha we don't have a bloody option
Yesterday at 05:29 • 1

Ben Smalley I love the way that he finishes off the article by implying that anyone who complains or disagrees are "softies". Mallon is a dick. Always been more interested in his column inches than actually getting the job done.
Wonder if he's gonna take a pay cut, and lead by example... I bet not.
Yesterday at 05:30 • 3

Jamie Clifford-Hamill the wanna cut back on road works!! all over the friggin place, theres hardly any road left to drive on without seein fat blokes havvin a cuppa tea in luminous coats diggin roads up!
Yesterday at 05:32 • 2

Rebecca Deane Savage why the hell don't the big knobs take a big pay cut instead. Then that way people can keep they jobs
Yesterday at 05:38 • 7

LeBron Olajuwon Vote Rick Betamax. I'm on the dole and I've got 17 young ens and a 68 inch plasma tv.
Yesterday at 05:38 • 1

Ben Gillard massive thanks to the labour party, years of spending when we didnt have it, they should be tried for treason and we should stop foreign aid and pull out of the eu. charity begins at home.
Yesterday at 05:39 • 6

Kay Kinson And they'll still be wasting money on the Queens Jubilee!
Yesterday at 05:43 • 4

LeBron Olajuwon It's the same for every council who gambled millions investing the publics money in icelandic banks. The crime rate will rise, more arson, burglary, car stereo twoks and the likes... here's to the next 10 years!
Yesterday at 05:45

Gary Tranter welcome to the real world for all them people who have never been out of work for a long time!..... put them judgmental eyes back in!
Yesterday at 05:46 • 3

Colin Penketh Ben gillard spot on bud trouble with labour love spendin ower money
Yesterday at 05:48

Mark 'Fleg' Felgate why don't they just strike again, they are led to believe that solves everything, i have had a pay freeze since july 2007 and have been informed we will not get one this year either, we all have to suffer, it not just the public sector, but the way they go on you would think they were!!!
Yesterday at 05:48 • 1

Andrea Galloway Typical Local Government, hit on the kids by closing the community centres, the deaf, and dial-a-ride which helps the elderly and disabled. Get the feeling that those getting most affected by these cuts, are those who can't or won't fight back??? Knock 10k off the managers salaries, that might reduce the deficit they have to find!
Yesterday at 05:59 • 2

Simon Howard Well Stuart bell never helped me at all now in redundant he was hopeless never even replied to any tel calls not emails spent more time in his apartment in Paris. And as for Mallon contact me and il tell you
Yesterday at 06:25 via Mobile • 1

Carol Sheward thats about right the kids lose out again then they moan that there roaming the streets thats cos youve pulled everything for kids down and built houses we had a community centre for kids in redcar they knocked it down built another building in its place and all ive seen is its used for is meetings
Yesterday at 06:30 • 2

Kathy Hall Time to cut back on the councillors and all the extra payments for doing a job they want most have no experience so one councillor for each ward and maybe then they can save even more money Oopps did I say cut backs to start in the town hall bet that was not on the agenda on cut backs
Yesterday at 06:31 • 2

Richard Solley And Stuart Bell would know - yeh
Yesterday at 06:56

Simon Howard I think cut mallons wages and all the councilors and all the higher managers in the council the paid councilors cox £600 to sit and point the finger in meeting at the south lands to say who was next to speak I mean come on. Mallon won't talk to me he's embarrassed in the way I was dealt with
Yesterday at 07:10

Lisa Fenwick Its very hard, but public and private sector are in the same situation as each ither, i hate this thing the government has created' private v,s public, normal workers be it publuc or private are the same, lets just hope the north east can withstand ut
Yesterday at 07:16 • 1

Lucie Sheehan I feel sorry for the elderly people who rely on dial a ride and for the deaf service going but I bet the budget for the scroungers won't change the wrong people always suffer. But the managers won't its always the case fact.
Yesterday at 07:25 • 1

Kris Lawrence get rid of the stupidly overpaid fuckers at the top who do nothing but fuck this town up
Yesterday at 08:26 • 1

James Rivers Have to say it's shocking what this country is coming to and the govement wants people to say of JSA they make me laugh
Yesterday at 08:43

Kjdj Neilus It started with you... you trend setter..
Yesterday at 10:23 • 1

Simon Howard Mallon reckons the town hall is the engine room of Middlesbrough that's gonna attract tourists and also his new sports village but he won't cutback on mima. A million a year it cost to keep that open and who goes
Yesterday at 10:49

Mark Daggett How come council tax goes up every year yet they claim to have less and less money?
Yesterday at 12:20

Mark Daggett and if Mallon is so proud of Middlesbrough then why does he live in redcar and cleveland?
Yesterday at 12:23 • 2

Helen Daggett Did someone say Stuart Bell? Where did i put those eggs???
Yesterday at 14:20 • 1

Michael Hurn Budget cuts, does that mean a reduction in council tax payments.
Yesterday at 15:16

Mark Harris I heard The Mima was in trouble?
4 hours ago

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Breaking- ... 5880852001

[BoroBot]

Middlesbrough council buys Kensington block
2 March 2007
A private investor client of David Baroukh has sold the freehold of Old Brompton Road in London’s Kensington to Middlesbrough Borough Council Pension Fund for £6.75m.
http://www.propertyweek.com/news/middle ... 56.article