Cuts package pushed through

Final nail in coffin for many youth clubs and day centres as budget gains approval

WITH neither party willing to give an inch over a series of last-minute concessions, West Berkshire Council's revenue budget for the next year, complete with day centre closures, youth club closures, job losses and sprawling cuts to services, was passed last night (Thursday).

The Conservative administration had drawn up the plans to mitigate against an £8.2 cut in Government funding in the coming year, and had rubber-stamped the proposals at an executive meeting last month (February).

All that remained was to fight off the Liberal Democrat proposed amendments, announced on Wednesday, of increasing efficiency savings to keep youth clubs open and halting the closure of five day centres, and gain the approval of the full council.

The three-and-a-half hour meeting, extended by the chairman because many items up for debate over-ran as councillors queued up to have their say, saw both sides tear strips off the other's budgeting acumen.

Leader of the opposition Jeff Brooks (Lib Dem, Thatcham West) accused the leader of the council, Graham Jones (Con, Lambourn), of “political sleight of hand” for claiming credit for a 0 per cent council tax raise when in fact the freeze had been imposed nationally on all councils by the Government.

Mr Jones retorted that the Liberal Democrats were “playing Russian Roulette with public services” with their alternative proposals.

The Conservatives put forward an amendment to the original budget, which included the recommendation to set aside £100,000 for local projects.

However, the council has come in for criticism from charities, youth groups, opposition councillors and facility users this week for its plans to close Riverside and John O'Gaunt youth centres, Kintbury Youth Club, Theale Junior Youth club, John O'Gaunt Youth Club, John O'Gaunt lunch club, and Waterside junior club under 13s.

Community groups will need to submit a business plan in order to gain money, and the administration hopes that in areas such as Kintbury, and Hungerford, where their only youth clubs are about to close, community figures will come forward to run the services themselves.

But a Liberal Democrat amendment to the amendment was voted against, and the Tories' original amendment to set aside £100,000 was passed.

The council has put money into road repairs, committing £2.3 million in new road resurfacing projects, it has increased spend in alternative adult social care by an additional £3.2 million, countenanced by the £2 million it will save by axing five day centres for vulnerable people, Hillcroft House in Thatcham, Downlands Day Centre, in Compton, Windmill Court Day Centre, in Mortimer, Shaw Day Centre, in Newbury, and the Ormonde Centre in Newbury.

The council has also committed an extra £3 million for school building programmes.

All this comes at a cost of around 180 jobs, which the council began shedding in July.

When all the shouting had finished, the budget was voted through on account of the Conservative majority.

In a statement released today, Mr Jones said: “We are living in difficult times and it is accepted that there is a need to make savings. This council is not immune from that. We are minimising those savings as far as possible, and changing the way some services are provided.”