LAST week, at the annual meeting of Thurrock Council, the leader of the council, John Kent, sent out a dire warning that there were challenging times ahead. Infact even two years ago, cllr Kent was warning that the dire years would be from 2014 onwards.
So it has come to pass that hundreds of council employees have been invited to apply for redundancy.
Understandably, this has caused some confusion in some quarters.
Up in Aveley, it appears that the school crossing patrols have received “invitation letters” which has spread to wild rumour and speculation on social media sties.
At the recent council meeting, cllr Kent said: “We must all remember that when we reduce spending in any area it has many consequences. Services people are used to and expect will change and – in a worst case – disappear altogether.
“If we make cuts that will mean redundancies, so it is important we consider those consequences too.
Cllr Kent continued: “The council had already started the process of seeking voluntary redundancies from staff, but expected that was unlikely to meet the total needed, adding that the council’s cabinet and committees would be busy looking at savings proposals during the coming months.”
A council spokesperson added to the council leaders comment. He said: “Like hundreds of other Thurrock Council staff in the current economic climate and in the face of an estimated £40 million in savings needed, council employees will have received letters asking if they are interested in voluntary redundancy. However, it is the council’s policy to keep school crossing patrols”.
Savings could be made on the two Belhus Councillors. Maybe Mr Kent should put in for voluntary redundancy too, I’m sure harmony would prevail in his absence.
savings could be made with regard to the decent homes scheme. Also reduce the over paid managers employ more ground staff. Make the system less complicated and introduce common sense. I feel there will be savings then.
why not sell off all the council housing stock and put it all in the private sector?.
Mr Kent always quotes figures without any clarity as to what these figures mean.
Is the comrade saying that almost 30% of the revenue budget needs to be cut now? Is he saying that this amount includes capital allowances?. can he provide any public clarification or does he intend to continue to muddy the waters and act like a teenager with a credit card debt that he doesn’t want his parents to know about. Come on comrade, let the public know.
No organisation could withstand a cut of 30% to its revenue without huge disruption. If the comrade and his administration didn’t have a plan for this, surely someone at a senior level should be walking down the street with a bin bag.
If I were a UKIP councillor, I’d be abstaining like my life depended on it when asked to vote on future cuts. Unless of course the comrade is being a little bit flowery with his predictions of impending doom.
I know the comrade doesn’t like the media but, perhaps he could provide some clarification on these matters. How he would do this, who knows. Perhaps through a local media outlet somehow.
rocket1 the council housing stock is self funding and doesn’t cost the taxpayer of Thurrock a penny. Money raised from Council Tax does not fund council housing and rents raised from council housing is ring fenced for expenditure on council housing and can’t be spent propping up other council services.
John Kent reminds me of the Nazi propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels. During WW2 he used to claim huge numbers of British ships sunk and aircraft destroyed but if you added all these ships and planes together then Britain’s Navy and Air force would have been destroyed many times over.
If you add all these cuts John Kent mentions together then Thurrock’s budget has been cut many times over.
Inescapable fact Ed is that in the next few years there are real cuts to be made as a direct result of reduced central govt settlement. Last few years have been rough enough and the council has fairly successful at balancing the books. However in the next few years real cuts in front line services seem unavoidable. UKIP were no fools when they abstained.
I do seem to remember that Kent has claimed that £30 million had already bee cut from the budget. I’ve looked at the service spend over the last few years and I don’t see a great deal of difference when you cut out all the adjustments. £30 million of cuts already made plus £40 million future cuts would mean the budget would have been cut in half. I don’t see that in the accounts so where are the cuts being made. The comrade just seems to be making it up. He’s even bragged about increasing the surpluses. Where are the cuts.