£37m worth of cuts may see 400 council jobs lost
BINS COULD MOVE FROM WEEKLY TO FORTNIGHTLY COLLECTIONS
UP to 400 jobs are at risk and council tax could rise by 5% under North Tyneside Council’s new budget proposals.
Residents could also have their bins collected fortnightly instead of weekly and libraries could have their opening hours reduced.
The authority says it is being forced to make savings of £37m over the next two years as a result of cuts in government funding and financial pressures.
And it is carrying out a review of a number of services to see where savings can be made.
A consultation process has started on the proposals, which include:
A 10-year plan for waste that includes increasing recycling and moving to fortnightly waste collections. In 2012, the council received £3.36m from the government to help keep the weekly bin collections until 2017. That funding has now ended and the authority says it needs to look at new ways of managing waste and recycling.
Potentially reducing opening hours at libraries and customer first centres. It is not yet known which branches could be affected. The authority is reviewing opening hours at all sites and any decisions will be made based on levels of activity.
A council tax rise of 4.99%. This includes a nationally recommended 3% increase to fund adult social care and a 1.99% general increase. The decision on any rise in tax will be taken by cabinet on January 24 following the consultation on the proposals.
Up to 400 jobs could be lost. The council says it has a good track record of minimising compulsory redundancies and will work hard with staff and trade unions as part of any restructuring plans to keep compulsory job losses to a minimum.
Following a Cabinet meeting, Mayor Norma Redfearn said: “Faced with steeply declining government funding and relentless pressure on the council’s already severely reduced budget, we are forced to make tough choices to protect essential services.
“Cabinet and I have carefully scrutinised the council’s finances to consider how we can manage so many competing demands for its services.
“With the scale of the funding reductions from government, very difficult decisions have had to be made and, unfortunately, many more lie ahead if we are to manage with less money.
“The proposals we are sharing aim to protect essential services, ensure the council operates as efficiently as possible and continues to provide excellent value for money to local taxpayers.”
Opposition councillors say they will be taking a look at the plans in detail to see what they will mean for residents.
Judith Wallace, Conservative Group Leader, added: “We will be scrutinising the budget proposals carefully.
“Council tax is a major item of expenditure for residents. We made several sensible suggestions for saving money last year, and the Labour councillors rejected them out of hand. There need not have been such a big tax rise.
“We want to see taxpayers’ money spent wisely, to ensure good services, and will be seeking detailed explanations.
“The loss of the weekly bin collection will be a real problem for people. The government continues to give around a third of a billion pounds each year to North Tyneside, and has invested huge extra sums recently, in rebuilding schools and road improvements.
“Only the Conservatives actually deliver for the North East, and last week’s announcements on new Metro trains and the new North of Tyne devolution deal are further examples. In particular, the new Institute for Technology will provide real opportunities.” The council says the budget proposals were put together after the Big Community Conversation, where residents were asked for their priorities and views on council services over the summer. Ms Redfearn added: “We are a listening council and really value the input of our residents in making sure the council’s spending is focused on the things that matter most to them. “The views we gathered in the Big Community Conversation have helped to shape a budget and refreshed Our North Tyneside Plan that put residents’ priorities first while protecting our environment and most vulnerable people. “We now welcome residents’ views on our proposals and I urge everyone to have their say on the difficult decisions we must make in the face of further cuts to our budget.” People can submit their views via the council’s website. Consultation responses will be analysed and considered before decisions are taken by a full council meeting in February.
With the scale of the funding reductions from government, very difficult decisions have had to be made