Threat of more service cuts as extra £3m needs to be found
THE LEADER of Newbury Town Council has led the criticism of West Berkshire Council’s proposals to cut £11m from its budget over the next two years, saying it will have a dramatic effect on the town.
The council is aiming to find £8m through efficiencies and the loss of 26 jobs, but needs to raise an additional £3m from cuts to frontline services to balance a reduction in central government funding.
It proposes to withdraw all its £60,000 funding from tourism, which would see the Tourist Information Centre, Newbury, close, unless Newbury Town Council stepped in.
The leader of the Liberal Democrat-led town council Julian Swift-Hook accused West Berkshire Council of holding back funds from them and said the proposed cuts would leave the town in a precarious position.
He said: “To expect us to pick up the bill is inappropriate when you consider it is promoting tourism in West Berkshire, not just Newbury.
“We are being hit with a £300,000 shortfall from West Berkshire Council - which equates to ten per cent of our overall budget -and as a result we will be forced to make some very difficult decisions.
“We recognise that the Tourist Information Centre is important to the people of Newbury and of course we will be looking at ways to keep it open, but at the moment we can’t say anything for definite.”
Almost half of the £146,000 budget for public conveniences is proposed to be cut, with the council signalling its intention to withdraw funding from Thatcham, Hungerford, Aldermaston and Kintbury. These parishes will be forced to foot the bill or face public toilets being closed.
Kintbury Parish Council clerk Chris Trigwell said: “It is a lot of money to find, money we don’t really have set aside.
“It would leave us to pick up a bill of around £12,000, which accounts for about 25 per cent of our precept budget of £45,000.
“It’s too early to say what will happen but we will discuss it at our council meeting tonight (Thursday) and decide how to move forward.”
Some of the district’s best-loved entertainment venues could be among the hardest hit, with the council announcing its intention to cut £170,000 – almost half – of the Corn Exchange’s current £378,000 funding and £10,000 from The Watermill theatre.
The general manager of the Corn Exchange, Katy Griffiths, said that the cuts would have a disastrous impact: “The reduction of our funding would put at risk our ability to deliver for the arts locally,” she said.
“During the consultation period we will be making sure that decision makers at the council understand the far reaching and unintended consequences that a cut this substantial would have for the local community.”
There are also plans to introduce the same weekday parking charges on a Sunday at council-run car parks, which the council says will raise around £10,000.
More than a fifth could be slashed from the public transport budget, with the council aiming to raise fares, reduce services and ask for contribution from parish councils on some of the 29 bus routes it currently subsidises (for the full list of services under threat, log onto www.newburytoday.co.uk).
Road maintenance will also be hit, with £165,000 proposed to be cut from the £942,000 budget.
As part of this, £30,000 would be withdrawn from gully clearing and £40,000 cut from road gritting. The council predicts that this would mean fewer roads gritted this winter, and the need to prioritise gullies which carry the highest risk of flooding.
Services for vulnerable and young people would be cut by £393,000 over the next two years, by spending less on providing specialist services to young people at risk of harm aged between 13-24 years. It is estimated this would affect about 800 people.
The council aims to save a further £16,000 a year by completely cutting funding to eight different school patrol crossings across the district. Those earmarked are St Paul’s, Long Lane, Spurcroft, Firtree, Whitelands, Pangbourne, Mortimer St Johns and John Rankin
Funding for the Duke of Edinburgh's award programme, which currently stands at £72,000, is also proposed to be withdrawn completely.
Seven libraries – Burghfield Common, Hungerford, Lambou-rn, Mortimer, Thatcham and Wash Common and Pangbourne – could have their opening hours reduced.
A £20,000 cut is also proposed from the pre-school teacher counselling budget, which could see an increase in waiting times.
Also, the council plans to trim £95,000 from the parenting support programme 2014-16 by training fewer people to provide services.
The council intends to reduce its supporting people in need of care budget by £450,000 over the next two years, by charging a contribution towards these services, on a means-tested basis.
Under the proposals, the planning enforcement budget would be cut by £37,000 by reducing the existing team resource, meaning work will have to be prioritised based on harm risk, with some work not being undertaken at all.
The budget for health-related services, which includes child and adolescent mental health services could be cut by £65,000 by renegotiating the current contract.
The council plans to slash £155,000 from its budget for children centres by running two centres with one manager, reducing services where there is a low take up, having specialist staff who can work across centres, working with other organisations to deliver services within children's centres and introducing charges for some of the services which are provided.
Road safety could also be hit, with more than 25 per cent knocked off the budget. This will see the council reduce spending on road safety campaigns, withdraw from the Safer Roads Partnership and end its contribution for funding of a Road Safety Constable.
The public consultation is now under way and people will have until December 13 to have their say on the proposals. To give your views, register your details on the consultation finder page www.engagespace.co.uk/westberks/
Let us know how you will be affected. Email dan.cooper@newburynews.co.uk, tweet us
@newburytoday, see our Facebook page or join our forum discussion at Newburytoday.co.uk
