Details on budget cuts

MORE detail has been shared on Cheshire East Council’s proposed cuts in its upcoming budget.

The council is set to pass a new budget in February for the 2021/22 municipal year, which legally must be balanced between expenditure and income.

As part of the process, the corporate overview and scrutiny committee met on Thursday, January 7, to examine the plans - and learned where savings are proposed to be found in the authority’s corporate services department.

Some £550,000 is hoped to be saved through ‘staff restructures and efficiencies’, according to Jane Burns, who heads up directorate.

She added: “This is really to complete the stalled restructures from three years ago. The world has moved on and there are other ways of doing things.

“There are a number of areas that have not been able to complete their restructures. That consultation with trade unions started last year but was stopped with Covid.

“Hopefully in the next couple of months we will be able to unlock those stalled restructures.”

The council’s corporate services team is responsible for council working in areas like finance, democracy, and customer services.

Other savings proposed for the department include a review of staff training budgets, memberships, and subscription to the tune of £130,000, a review of staff terms and conditions to save £500,000, and a cut in councillors’ travel allowances amounting to £30,000.

These measures are supported by other initiatives, and come alongside a bid to recoup £290,000 of money owed to the council via ‘improved debt recovery’, although around

£30 million is owed to the council in total.

The feedback from the scrutiny committees will be discussed by cabinet in February.