NHDC and cuts in public spending.

A report on the Council’s strategic approach to

finding the savings it expects will be required as a result of cuts in

public spending will be tabled at the next NHDC Cabinet meeting on 28

September.  The scale of the cuts is due to be announced in the

Government’s Comprehensive Spending Review on 20 October.  If the

Government were to announce a 25% reduction over 4 years, the Council

will have to make savings of just over £1.4 million per annum.

The

report presented to Cabinet proposes a number of areas where possible

savings could be found.  It begins the first phase of a process to

identify the areas where reductions might be made in council

expenditure over the next four years.  All North Herts District

Councillors will then have an opportunity to examine the proposals in

more detail and make their views known before Cabinet prepares a draft

budget in December.  

Following publication of the draft budget,

members of the public, business rate payers and council staff will have

an opportunity to comment before the final budget is produced in

January for approval by Cabinet, 10 February.

The areas that have

been prioritised for discussion between now and the draft budget in

December are those areas where the Council can exercise choice around

service levels and whether or not to provide the service.  They include:

  -   The role of community centres and public halls, and the level of support provided to them by the council

  -   The level of grant funding to voluntary organisations through the  council’s Area Committees

  -   Further scope for shared services or outsourcing where costs could be reduced while maintaining acceptable service levels

  -   Potential for introducing charges, where practical, for some services eg:-for some planning services

  -

  Consideration of whether the number of committee meetings could be

reduced  and streamlining the production of preparation material for

formal meetings

  -   A further review of the staff structure and overall pay-bill.

  -   A comprehensive review of the museums service

  -   Management of public spaces, including the possibility of an increase in allotment charges

  -

  A reduction in expenditure on homelessness, debt advice and the rent

deposit guarantee scheme (although this has to be considered alongside

potential costs that early interventions can prevent)

  -

  Enforcing regulations on verge parking, dog fouling or fly tipping

and the provision of other discretionary services allied to anti-social

behaviour

  -   Reviewing the enhanced town centre maintenance budgets and investment in environmental enhancements

  -   Ongoing subsidies of town markets (i.e. Hitchin and Royston)

Councillor

Lynda Needham, leader of the council, said:  “We understand the

importance of providing value for money, and over the last six years we

have already made £6.8 million of savings, including £1.3 million for

2010/11.  Obviously this makes any further efficiency savings more

difficult to find.

“We are not yet clear what will be announced

in the Comprehensive Spending Review, what the impact will be on what

we provide and how we deliver it.  What we do know is that it will

present us with numerous challenges and a number of tough decisions are

going to have to be made.

“As you can imagine, these are

uncertain times for many of the council’s officers, as well as people

who live and work in North Herts.  What Cabinet will be doing when it

next meets is beginning a process that will take account of the views

of our members, our staff and residents before a final budget is

prepared early next year.  Throughout that process, uppermost in our

minds will be continuing to deliver first-class services as efficiently

as we can.”