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Divided opinion over how axe should fall - JOIN THE DEBATE
Sheffield Town Hall
Lib Dem
OPPOSITION Lib Dem Deputy Leader Coun Colin Ross:
“I’m not pretending we wouldn’t have to make the bulk of the reductions in spending proposed if we were in power, but we would do things a little differently.
“When Labour took control, they put £3 million of spending commitments back into the system, reversing some changes we proposed last year, such as on PCSOs and funding for external organisations.
“There are changes Labour is proposing, such as reducing bin collections from weekly to fortnightly, which won’t make much of a difference over the coming year - the predicted saving is now £1.6m, down from £2.44m, because they are not making the change straight away.
“There could be a bill of up to £1m to Veolia for contractual changes, while they are talking about spending £400,000 on communication to residents about the change.
“Areas I would like to protect would include the weekly black bin collection, and parks where they are cutting the number of staff and rangers’ posts.
“We would also like to see something done about the massive £400,000 annual cost of supporting full-time trade union reps within the council. If they are doing a job for the unions, their members should pay.
“There is the £300,000 support for Castle Market traders’ rent discount and the number of legal and administration support staff could be looked at again in more detail. Their numbers are not being cut by Labour to any great extent.”
Green Party
Rob Murphy, Central ward Green Party councillor:
“There are a couple of areas of the budget I am particularly interested in. The increase in parking permit prices is a concern - even those who do not have a car are seeing the cost of visitors’ passes quadruple. It is a tax on people living in the inner city.
“The decision to end the funding for the affordable warmth scheme is another area I think should have been protected.
“The scheme has only just started in central ward and I’m worried how many households will be able to take advantage before it is finished.”
Labour
Sheffield Council deputy leader Coun Bryan Lodge:
“We have had our grant support cut by the Government and face rising costs, so do not have the income to continue running the council as we have done - but we are trying to manage the best we can.
“We have had to look at reductions across the board. We are reviewing the amount of money allocated to full-time trade union officials - although those posts have been necessary as the council went through the equal pay dispute and then to cope with redundancies.
“We have reduced some management posts and are carrying out a wider review. We are not planning to protect a management structure for when things change and money starts to come back in.
“We have not made a major management cut because sometimes if you cut them too fast you do not have enough people to oversee the process of change.
“Increases in parking permit charges take them back to around the same levels as in 2006.
“The Lib Dems reduced the cost, subsidising running costs from other areas. There are benefits to the schemes, in ensuring residents can park outside their homes and deterring commuters from residential streets.
“There are other anomalies - a book of visitor permits costs £4 to produce but residents pay only £2.50 at present.
“We are also reducing the subsidy to allotments.
“The affordable warmth scheme to provide insulation is being finished by the Government in its current form.”
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Comments
There are 16 comments to this article
Page 1 of 2
Ivan Eddake
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 02:50 PMDon't worry folks, the city is in good hands with Comrade Dore in charge. I just wish I had my good hands round her throat.
Observer3
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 02:17 PMNone suggest halving allowances for elected members: They contribute little to management or provision of services and returning their role to being part timers would be a good start. Leigh Bramall is a first class example of someone who has given up his day job to sponge off rate payers and the prepare him for his long term political decisions.
mjb66
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 01:21 PMVonny watts. I used to be in your party only 12 months ago and people reading this will know who i am. I believe your party does not have a real voice for the people of sheffield and the only council seat it had didnt support this person. I still get letters asking if i want to rejoin and to send in my fee. You cant make heaven on earth and whoever takes power big problems will happen.
mjb66
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 01:13 PM#11 why dont you read again what i have put down here. Keep smiling.
Vonny Watts
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 01:06 PM@dromedary I could not agree more with your comments. Between Labour and the Lib Dems this city has been left in an appalling situation regarding our waste provision. Had the incinerator been maintained correctly and budgetary plans been made for it's eventual replacement over many years, as was necessary, there would have been no need to swipe out our own infrastructure from beneath the city and throw ourselves upon the mercy of the not terribly merciful Veolia. It seems unfair to suggest that all politicians will behave in an inept manner when some parties have not had a chance to prove themselves in this city. @mjb66 of course I want a vote! I'm a Sheffield woman who has seen enough of the ridiculous mess my city is in and I have chosen to represent the only party who could possibly get a firm grip of the financial reins.
keepsmiling12
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 12:45 PMSo mjb66, are you really saying that any Councillor is better than a Conservative Councillor-even if they can read a contract,understand an organisation's accounts, ask real questions and promise to do something about the mess this City is in?.
dromedary
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 12:38 PMCan I remind Vonny Watts that because of serious mistakes in the incinerator upgrade under Labour it then had to be given away at a cost of over £25 million. . . . . If it wasn't for that fact then SCC would still own and be in control of the incinerator and not Veolia. . . . I agree with Charlie Farleigh that Local Councils should stop being party political and run by amateurs. . . . Time to free local councils from politics and make them neutral. . . . Perhaps then we will see some improvement rather than the predictable regurgitated rubbish that gets spouted out.
Peterwth
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 12:28 PMLabour raped and pillaged our city for years, and now they are at it again. They have destroyed the country, and and now setting about destroing the people of our city. Just remember who voted them into power, and take a long hard look at yourselves.
mjb66
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 11:33 AMVonny Watts Sounds to me like you are digging for a vote for councillor here. The tories do not have much chance in sheffield or south yorkshire, sorry to disapoint you but thats the way it is my friend.
swfc
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 11:26 AMget rid of the union reps get rid of sh1tty of sanctuary get rid of community groups, kick out all tenants with rent debts of 800 pounds or more, re rent to local people , anybody not a uk citizen sorry no housing, unless your paying the full Market price cash, deposit etc, stop think groups about think groups, the meeting about the meeting before the meeting, we need a lord mayor it's part of the pomp of been English , we need to cut the way we give money away, it's only a matter of time before the city,government addresses the funding of non British visitors, in the commons the home secretary said we need to banish the eu rites structure and bring in a uk bill of rites, another reason England is ready to cut ties with Scotland, next two years we will be voting for this, sorry for evrybody who is losing their job, very bad, I think it's the position we are in global not just England , labour or conservative it was coming, this is why labour kept Gordon brown in charge knowing full well he would not get voted in, who ever is in charge for the next years has a big job to do,
geronwiyit
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 11:25 AMget rid of the lot of them, and replace them with trained monkies. the savings would go into keeping frontline services . And i mean proper frontline services that we depend upon, not upon some hair brained "regeneration" project
Vonny Watts
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 11:07 AMAnd may I just remind Councillor Ross as he puffs out his chest about the Veolia contract and it's awful negotiation, which has left the city in a complete stranglehold over the bins, the Lib Dems signed it! Peter Moore freely admits he did it "in haste" and that he "left the negotiations to others". It is hardly the time to start finger-wagging at the fact that Labour are unable to get any leverage with Veolia.
Vonny Watts
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 11:03 AMI think Labour and the Lib Dems need to look to their own instead of spouting indignation at the Government as it tries to reduce a huge legacy of debt left in 2010 by 13 years of Labour administration. Over 960 billion pounds. This debt is real, it is ours and it isn't going anywhere all by itself. Let's see some exemplary behaviour now if they are so appalled. A cut of 10% in councillors' wages would yield about £92,000. a cut in their special allowances, more than that. We do not have a successfully run city. If we are talking about value for money then a CEO paid £180,000 is not it. Turn the city round and you've earned it. Large outsourced contracts need proper scrutiny. In November's contracts payments - £1.5 million pounds went to Kier on "Miscellaneous expenses". What were they? I've asked for transparency and received a "we will get back to you". They haven't. I won''t stop asking. We need to get a grip on the wallet. Too many companies are helping themselves and Sheffield people are suffering. We need voices of business back on this council. Sound common sense in times of austerity. These knee-jerk cuts look and are ill-considered when waste is abundant. Stopping waste takes a huge effort. Spending is easy. Cutting when you've spent too much is not so easy and our council are clueless. The Conservatives would get down to the hard work of finding the money being wasted. We could start with the uncollected council tax of 26.5 million! Half the cuts right there!
Sir Taxedalot
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 10:56 AMI've got 3 councillors and not one of them is worth a used bus ticket. Get rid of 2 at least. Labour being Labour are cutting front line services to make a political point. They don't care if they hurt their own supporters as long as they can use the cuts to perpetuate themselves in power. According to Lodge under Labour the management will stay and the front line will go while keeping their trade union paymasters in a lifestyle their members won't be able to keep.
kayte
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 10:26 AMOf the above I would support the Lib Dem statement only.
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