Sutton Conservatives Alternative Budget 01.03.10
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Transcript of Sutton Conservatives Alternative Budget 01.03.10
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COUNCILLOR TIM CROWLEY BUDGET SPEECH MONDAY 1 MARCH 2010 Thank you, Madam Mayor.
Tonight I am moving a budget amendment setting out our Conservative plans
for a reduction in council tax coupled with fully-costed and affordable
proposals for a better Borough.
You will hear about our plans to recognise the service of British soldiers and
reservists on active duty overseas. You will also hear about our radical plans
to give financial incentives for increased recycling.
Our plans for a debit card system for adult social service users for direct
payments and independent living will be outlined. We shall unveil a scheme
to put residents at the very front of the queue for council services, with
preferential rates in leisure centres, theatres and car parks plus discounts in
local shops to help the local economy.
But before I lay out our stall for a better Sutton, a balanced budget with our
boundless drive to cut costs and to improve services, I need to address two
points which have caused no small amount of disappointment on the
Opposition benches.
The first is a smug sentiment of self-achievement and paucity in ambition in
the ruling Liberal Democrat ranks.
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The second is a disappointing disdain for an attempt to stimulate the debate
about the public services Sutton Council provides and the cost attached to
them.
To flesh out the first point, I must refer to the self-satisfied comments of
Councillor Ruth Dombey at The Executive on 9 February at which she
exclaimed, and I quote: “What we have achieved is wonderful, we should be
congratulated.”
Oh really?
This sentiment belies the ritualistic backslapping that routinely exposes the
under-belly of this Liberal Democrat-run Council when it comes to budget
time. Is Councillor Dombey proud of the inherent disdain that is unveiled by
her comment?
Her administration is taking residents for mugs by dangling a freeze in front of
their noses after 24 years of brutal and relentless increases in rates and
council tax; does she really think that residents have memories so short?
This, our Alternative Budget, shows the taxpayers of this Borough that we
have the ambition, the drive and the plans to ease the burden on their pockets
not only with a cut this year but a freeze for years to come. The simple fact is
a Conservative controlled Sutton Council will not cost residents a penny more
for years with the help of an ambitious Conservative Government.
That is our offer to residents and we are unapologetic for it.
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Secondly, we regret the recent comments from Councillor John Drage that he
has effectively refused to bother to read our budget amendment over the
weekend despite the offering having been made to him.
The cynical disregard he showed by refusing to allocate time to read it shows
that he does not take debate about how Sutton Council spends public money
seriously. Is this not the same Liberal Democrat Finance Chief who, every
year, bristles with Oscar-winning righteous indignation that we have not
offered an alternative budget?
Well, the taxpayers of this Borough will remember that perhaps if he had
shown a bit more interest in money matters we might not have had £5.5million
frozen in Iceland with taxpayers taking a £1million.
So, what is on offer this year from this Liberal Democrat administration?
Cynicism.
Back-slapping.
And a dearth of ambition.
Madam Mayor, this year the people of the London Borough of Sutton face a
very real choice. More of the same from the party opposite or something new,
a fresh no-nonsense programme for reduced costs and better services, forged
with new ideas.
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My time in politics has taught me to be cautious, especially when dealing with
Liberal Democrats desperate to cling to power. So, Madam Mayor, I shall
head one controversy off at the pass. Because I know the party opposite will
seek to spin our Alternative Budget here this evening and to twist our words to
make it sound as though we are presenting a hack and slash budget. Let’s
remember it was Nick Clegg, their leader, who has called for “savage cuts”
We are not.
We are placing the Liberal Democrats on notice that if they misrepresent our
budget in their Focus literature to the people of this Borough, we will be
unforgiving in exposing that deception.
When the Budget and Associated Matters went before The Executive in early
February, Councillor Lynn Gleeson said that “No budget can stand unless
based on good foundations.”
I could not agree more. And this Alternative Budget is based on just that. The
simple and indelible budgetary principle: -
Does this provide value for money to the Sutton taxpayer?
Madam Mayor, this Alternative Budget does. This Conservative Party does.
I draw your attention to our inserted recommendation that an incoming
Conservative Government will literally put its money where it’s mouth is by
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helping prudent local authorities to freeze their council tax for two years in a
row. Madam Mayor – that is precisely what we will do.
The one thing which really characterises this Council’s current administration
is its ideological addiction to expanding budgets. Not to forget the weak-knee
policy of always blaming the Government for its own failure to ease the
burden of the Council on residents, even during the good times as our
Alternative Budget states.
Yes, Sutton is a floor authority. Yes, it has had to endure a bad deal on a
number of occasions. But this never came as a surprise and it happened over
a period of successive budgets and successive years. Why didn’t they adapt?
Why didn’t they show the strong political leadership to reduce costs?
It is because they are weak and it’s easier to blame someone else. This
Alternative Budget has a set of values which shows that we have the ability to
make this Borough a better place without playing the political ‘blame game’.
Meeting the challenges of Labour’s debt crisis does not mean rolling over and
resigning ourselves to annual budgetary increases, it means finding the
savings, safeguarding the services that matter and driving down costs. This is
why we will maintain the existing level of General Fund Expenditure for the
years 2011/12 and 2012/13. This called cutting your cloth accordingly.
Similarly, we believe that employees of the Council should be freed up to save
the taxpayer money. This is why we have suggested an amendment to
existing council policy to allow underspends to carry over into the next year.
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This will reward departmental budgets for prudent spending rather than the
‘lose it or use mentally’.
Madam Mayor, putting this Alternative Budget together was not an easy task
and it has exposed some entrenched weaknesses in the way this Council is
run and the lack of political leadership which has allowed these problems to
fester.
Anyone here who runs a business knows that contradictory figures do not suit
budgets. And this is what we have had to contend with. But in accordance
with the sensible principles of fiscal conservatism we have opted for the most
conservative figures on two major savings areas – freezing additional staff
recruitment and reducing, as a matter of policy and action, this Council’s
reliance on consultancy by 50%.
To illustrate the confusion on the cost of consultants to the Sutton taxpayer,
figures provided to me in my capacity as Audit Committee Chairman range
from £2.1million to £6.7million. I would like this to be formally minuted here
this evening, Madam Mayor.
Because we are responsible, because we are conservative, we have
budgeted a saving of £1.295m.
There are times when Sutton Council must engage the expertise of outside
consultants when the required in-house expertise is not retained - but the
notion that a £440million organisation has such reliance on costly consultants
is simply unacceptable.
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We know, Madam Mayor, that some consultancy fees are redeemable in the
form of grants from outside organisations, but many are not. What I have
found very disturbing is the impossibility of getting a straightforward and
definitive answer on the Council’s reliance on consultants – one has to ask
why hasn’t Councillor Drage been keeping an eye on this?
What has also disturbed me is that many consultants are paid on day rates
rather than set period contracts. As a matter of policy this Alternative Budget
proposes to change that. In our view this will reduce costs even further.
In freezing additional staff recruitment, this Alternative Budget proposes that
we undertake a full and frank Staff Review assessment. The confusion
regarding the cost of consultants has been replicated in the size of ‘the
establishment’ – in jargon busting terms this means the size of our staff.
Despite our best efforts, ascertaining the correct figures has been a
Herculean task. The confusion between vacant funded posts and unfunded
vacant posts has prevented us from having even deeper scope for reduced
spending. Conflicting data sets arising from our enquiries have prevented us
from tabling a more radical budget with scope to reduce the council tax
burden by an even greater amount.
Be under no illusions, when elected that it precisely what we will do.
What is clear though - in this muddle - is that it has taken the dogged
determination of opposition councillors to ask the questions which the
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administration should have been asking years before, on pretty simple
questions like ‘how many staff members do we have?’
Why hasn’t Councillor Drage and his team been asking the searching
questions concerning one of the largest spends in Sutton Council, namely, it’s
staffing numbers and the costs associated with it.
We need to know. In fact, taxpayers have the right to know. And where there
are efficiencies they should be made and saved money passed to the
taxpayer.
Councillor Sean Brennan’s foreword to the Council’s budget takes a startling
detachment from reality when he says that the Council is working to fulfil its
tasks with “less money”. This simply isn’t the case.
Even a cursory glance at the budget booklet shows increased spending
across the board. Spend, spend, and spend some more. Budgets never come
down in Sutton and when ‘efficiencies’ are made they never make it as far as
the Sutton taxpayer’s pocket.
We think this is wrong.
In terms of the capital programme this Liberal Democrat administration has
demonstrated its paucity of ambition and neglect through its actions over the
last 24 years.
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You can see this from the years of shameful neglect in investing in our council
housing leading to the decent homes crisis. You can also see this through the
years and years of neglect in our rolling programmes for necessary repairs to
council buildings and schools.
And let’s not forget the years of pilfering from the taxpayers’ purse to pursue
pet projects such as the controversial Sutton Life Centre and aborted projects
such as the skating rink that never was – the Caswelldrome!!!
There has been no real clear strategy or understanding of the savings that
could be made from a well structured capital programme. This administration
has provided no evidence of comprehension of how skimping on vital council
buildings would eventually come back to haunt them. Put simply, when the
sun was shining the Liberal Democrats did not think to fix the roof.
Our Alternative Budget makes reference to what we call a Transformation
Agenda – that is a root and branch re-examination of what the Council offers
to residents, whether this offering benefits them and how the functions of this
Council can be reformed, even restructured, to deliver more for less, and
more effectively. This will dovetail well with the ambitious work already started
by council officers with ‘Smart Services Sutton’.
This takes courage, Madam Mayor, and it takes political will. In short, it takes
leadership.
We are ready to provide that leadership and we are showing that leadership
tonight with this document.
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Councillor Howell will tell you about our Armed Forces discount with the
Council helping our heroes.
Councillor Pritchard shall flesh out our plans for social services, including a
direct payments card to promote independent living and better training for
councillors to deal with the changes in social services provision.
Councillor Marion Williams will talk you through our desire to make
communications more effective, eradicating duplicated efforts and
streamlining how we communicate with residents – saving the taxpayer a
significant sum of money.
Councillor John Kennedy will tell you how to make Sutton Scene a self-
funding communications tool with residents.
Councillor Faulds is going to show how a Conservative-run Council will look at
a variety of methods, including zero-based accounting, to drive costs down.
And Councillor Tony Shields will provide our solid commitment that we will
restore the free visitor parking hours for residents living in Controlled Parking
Zones, so shamelessly robbed of them by this Liberal Democrat
administration.
Finally, Councillor Scully will follow up by outlining our plans for a residents’
priority card and rewarding people for recycling more.
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In conclusion Madam Mayor, this is a Conservative budget with vision - saving
the taxpayer money and increasing quality services. We have proposals to cut
the Council Tax by 1.75% - driving down Band C Council Tax, back below the
£1000 level. Not content with that though, we’re going one step further, and it
is our intention to freeze it for three years in a row – something the ruling
Liberal Democrats could never bring themselves to do.
This is a recession budget. It is a realistic budget. It is a Conservative budget.
I urge all councillors to support the motion.
Thank you, Madam Mayor.