yet at the same time proposes mass borrowing for demolition
http://middlesbrough-council.com/forum/ ... ?f=8&t=420
TheSilentMajority
1:28 PM on October 7, 2011
Mayor is borrowing 14.8 million to demolish a block of houses in the Middlehaven ward, and a similar amount in 3 years to demolish another block then slap some tarmac down and make a temporary car park until a developer buys the land at some point in the future, possibly, maybe. Nearly 30 million to make a piece of scrubland/temp car park. Whats that about necessary cuts again ? - if Mallon wanted to save money he would lift the demolition blight on hundreds of houses and put money to better use for the town. But its expensive saving face. Meanwhile Mbro taxpayers get saddled with tens of millions in extra debt. Why does the Gazette stay silent ?, fear of upsetting the dear leader ?
Savage list of Middlesbrough Council cuts revealed
by Sandy McKenzie, Evening Gazette
Oct 6 2011
SAVAGE cuts proposed in Middlesbrough Council services would see libraries, children’s centres, Clairville Stadium and Tennis World closed.
In an unprecedented list of £10.5m worth of savings, around 123 jobs could be lost.
The council is embarking on a six-week period of consultation on the proposed cuts which include:
:: CLOSURE of Clairville Stadium and Tennis World. Cash from the sell-off of the sites would go towards a new sports village.
:: CLOSURE of four libraries.
:: CLOSURE of eight youth and community centres.
:: CLOSURE of eight children’s centres.
:: CLOSURE of Middlesbrough Deaf Centre.
:: CLOSURE of the Lanehead Outdoor Centre in the Lake District.
:: AXING the Dial a Ride service.
:: REMOVING Centre Square’s Big Screen after the 2012 Olympics.
:: CLOSING the Southlands and Pallister Park Centres and relocating their indoor leisure provision to the Neptune Centre. Existing outdoor sports facilities would continue to be available.
:: AXING the mobile library.
:: ENDING subsidised buses.
Mayor Ray Mallon detailed the proposals at a special council meeting last night.
He has also made clear more cuts still had to be made. More than £3m in savings still have to be found to meet next year’s spending limits and cuts of £12.3m and £11.7m are needed in the following two years.
Mr Mallon told the Gazette the Chancellor, George Osborne, announced the details of his Comprehensive Spending Assessment in October 2010 which indicated the council would have to save more than £50m over four years.
He said: “That figure has risen due to inflation and other external pressures. As it stands, this council will effectively have £52m less to spend at the end of the review period.
“We are already in the process of saving £15m this financial year and the proposals I have now outlined cover the period from April 1 2012 to the end of March 2013.
Mr Mallon said the budget proposals were designed to protect vital services but also to ensure that he, as the elected Mayor, balanced the budget which was imperative in safeguarding the council’s overall finances.
“I accept the proposals are hard-hitting but they are necessary in the present climate.
“From where I sit, there is no other option as the following two years will require further cuts of £12.3m and £11.7m.
“These proposals amount to about £10.5m but we still have to find a further £3.3m for 2012-13.
“I believe these are the biggest cuts to hit Middlesbrough in living memory and no service nor any person is immune to the cuts before us at this time.
“I have announced these proposals early so we can have a six-week consultation period. I will then hold a further council meeting in December to announce the final proposals.”
He said he believed it was right to close Clairville Stadium and Tennis World and provide new state- of-the-art sports village to include athletics and tennis facilities.
The cuts being proposed in Middlesbrough include:
Environment
1. Cease current funding for Shopmobility service, to save £40,000.
2. To cease all current subsidised bus services, to save £60,000.
3. Reduce the number of Street Wardens by 16 posts, to save £450,000.
4. Introduce a £20 charge for Residents’ Parking Permits, to generate income of £100,000.
5. Increase allotment charges to £60 per annum for full sized plot and remove concessions, to generate income of £20,000.
6. Introduce a £10 charge for all “junk jobs” to generate income of £150,000.
7. Reduce the Environmental Education Service by up to three posts to save £50,000.
8. Cut 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, to save £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 to save £150,000.
Regeneration
11. Cut the library service Book Fund, to save £50,000.
12. Close the mobile library service, to save £50,000.
13. Reduce library management by 1.5 posts, to save £36,000.
14. Reduce the council’s contribution to Tees Valley Unlimited, to save £59,000.
15. Reduce the council’s contribution to the Stockton / Middlesbrough Initiative, to save £38,000.
16. Withdraw from the Tees Archaeology Service, to save £23,000.
17. Reduction in staffing in mima and museums to the equivalent of one FTE, to save £25,000.
18. Reduce Council Officer support to Community Councils, to save £20,000.
19. Reduce Community Council Annual Grant allocation to £500 per community council, to save £60,000.
20. Reduce financial support to public events, to save £15,000.
21. The removal of the Big Screen after the completion of the Olympic Games to save £15,000.
22. The reduction of one post in Culture and Events Section and savings through a new box office system, to save £20,000.
23. Reduction of one post in the Town Centre Management team plus associated marketing costs to save £45,000.
Social Care
24. Reduction of three posts in the Community Inclusion service, to save £100,000.
25. Obtain increased income and contributions from Health, in providing residential support to people at risk leaving hospital, to generate income of £200,000.
26. To secure a price freeze on residential and non-residential service care contracts, which have a current value of £25m. It will save £1.1m.
27. Introduction of an Information Technology system that automates administrative processes. This will result in the loss of eight to 10 posts, to save £100,000.
28. Close the Dial a Ride service, which will result in the loss of around four drivers’ posts and a saving of £250,000.
29. Introduce contributions for the supply of “everyday” equipment such as special cutlery sets to people suffering from disability, to save£50,000.
30. Reduce personal care package costs on the basis of need, to save £200,000.
The Partnership
31. Reduce service provision across all services provided by Mouchel, to save £399,000. This will include efficiency savings from technology and from the corporate review of administration.
32. Termination of external lease of Rede House and relocation of staff, which to save £282,000.
Strategic Resources
33. Merge the Financial Planning and Procurement teams, to save £159,000.
34. Merge ex-Mouchel and council accountancy staff, to save £190,000.
35. Reduction in at least two Asset Management posts within the TAD and Enterprise Centres, to save £37,000.
36. Reduction of one post within the caretaking section, to save £13,000.
37. Reduction of one post due to the merger of CFL Asset Management and Corporate Asset Management, to save £16,000.
38. External audit fees to be reduced, to save £20,000.
39. Reduction in the Audit Plan specifications, to save £25,000.
40. Reduce the frequency of cleaning of all Council buildings and therefore reduce the number of posts by 15 FTE, to save £250,000.
41. Reduce the costs of maintaining all council buildings with regard to the following areas and 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 to save £87,000.
43. Reduce the support services funded by the council to schools (e.g. behaviour, language, attendance and careers support), to save £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 six 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 redeucing costs in the use of social work agencies to save £150,000.
47. Price freeze and contract savings from renewal of residential care contracts to save £90,000.
Legal and Democratic Services
48. Reduction in the working hours of the Members Office Manager and other non-staffing savings, to save£50,000.
Chief Executive and Assistant Chief Executive Department
49. Reduce the numbers of staff by up to about six posts to save 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 across the Council, to save £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 Children’s Centre, which is based at Rosewood, St Augustines and The Avenue Primary Schools.
65. Close Acklam Children’s Centre, which is based at Green Lane and Newham Bridge Primary Schools.
66. Close Breckon Hill Children’s Centre.
67. Close Brookfield / Kader Children’s Centre, which is based at Acklam Whin and Kader Primary Schools.
68. Close Children’s Centre venue at Archibald Primary School.
69. Close Children’s Centre venue at Newport Primary School.
70. Close Children’s Centre venue at Thorntree Primary School.
71. Close Children’s Centre venue at Brambles Farm Primary School.
72. Close Mill Hill Recreation Pavilion.
73. Close Thorntree Park Pavilion.
74. Close Middlesbrough Deaf Centre.
75. Withdrawal of 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. (Joe Waltons brand will be retained at the Neptune Centre). The council will work with those businesses currently based at the Southlands Centre in identifying alternative premises.
77. Close Clairville Stadium and sell the site.
78. Close Tennis World and offer the sites for sale. Receipts from the sale of it and Clairville Stadium site will be used for the development of a Sports Village, which could be located on the Prissick site.
Closure of the community buildings and services will save £1.5m.
http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teess ... -29549488/
