Jobs To Go And Council To Rise In Southend

13 January 2015, 09:18 | Updated: 13 January 2015, 09:21

Southend Council

Jobs are set to go and council tax will rise as Southend Borough Council tries to save more than £10 million next year.

The council has announced its proposed budget for the 2015/16 financial year on the back of the Government announcing the borough's to get £11.1 million less from it - a drop of 28%.

As a result it says it needs to reduce its spending by nearly £12.4 million, although nearly £1.9 million of that will come from its reserves.

That still leaves £10.5 million to find though, and among the decisions the council has made is to cut 38 jobs and raise council tax by 1.95%.

The council insists that only 21 of those posts are currently filled at the moment and the council tax rise equates to just 42p a week for a Band D household.

Cllr Ron Woodley, Leader of the Council, says:  "We have had to make some incredibly difficult decisions that deliver significant savings just so we can balance our books. It is inevitable that as central Government funding reduces every year, the decisions get tougher and tougher.

"To put this in context we need to save over £33m over the next three years, which is approximately £48,000 per working day or £240,000 per working week for the next three years.

"It is no longer possible to just keep making efficiencies here and there as that has already been done.  So we are faced with very stark choices about where we save, where we look at reducing services and where we look at raising charges and generating more income to protect what we offer our local people. 

""e must do all of this against a backdrop of increased demand for services such as social care, and changing demographics which mean we are all living longer and have more elderly people in the Borough that must be looked after.

"We cannot and will not just batten down the hatches and rein in our ambitions.  That would be no good for local people, local businesses or for the economic prosperity of Southend-on-Sea. Our multi-million pound capital programme demonstrates how we can attract significant amounts of external funding to deliver major projects whilst containing the need for borrowing.

"With all of this in mind, we really have little choice but to propose a council tax rise of 1.95%, or 42p a week for a Band D household. I do not propose this lightly and accept that local people have also been impacted by the austerity measures, so we have done everything possible to avoid this. 

"Whilst I accept that there are elements of this budget that will not be popular, it delivers the major savings required whilst maintaining and even investing in our core front-line services that will keep the streets clean, look after our vulnerable people and ensure that we remain a competitive and popular tourist and business destination."

Other measures in the budget include:

  • saving £3 million through effective use of Better Care Fund to reduce number of residential placements;
  • raising £245,000 a year by putting car park charges up;
  • saving £100,000 by replacing street lights with LED lights;
  • raising £45,000 a year by increasing Pier charges;
  • saving £135,000 from information, advice and guidance service provided to schools;
  • saving £825,000 per annum year on year as part of new waste collection contract;
  • raising £175,000 by increasing fees and charges within Bereavement services;
  • saving £100,000 through review of high cost placements and care packages;
  • raising £150,000 a year through review of street work permit charges for utility companies when they carry out work;
  • saving £185,000 by moving staff out of leased Southchurch Centre;
  • saving £205,000 through redesigning back office in three areas;
  • saving £100,000 by redesigning the Early Offer Pathway service.

Away from cuts and savings, the Council says it will invest £3 million into frontline services, including an additional £635,000 to "fund community support costs to help young people with a learning disability who are turning 18, to make the transition into adult social care to ensure they have positive outcomes".

It also says "an additional £500,000 per year has been set aside to deal with the changing and ageing demographics of the Borough and an increased demand for 24 hour care for older people in the Borough".