Showing posts with label spending. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spending. Show all posts

Saturday 15 April 2017

Cut Tory education policy waste - not school funding

With education in the news over the weekend as the teaching unions meet I was interested in this information from Janes Eades of Wandsworth NUT and CASE (Campaign for the Advancement of State Education).
 
Much has been in the news about the cuts which will be taking place in schools, forcing many schools to cut staffing.  However, there has been virtually no coverage of the waste of money as a direct result of the implementation of the Government policy of opening 'free' schools, UTCs and studio schools, combined with the conversion of schools into academies, controlled by trusts which are often not up to the job or which are financially irresponsible.

The NUT/ATL have put together information on how different parts of the country will be affected and this can be seen on the 
School Cuts website.

However, I have looked at ways in which the Government have been wasting millions:



Tuesday 7 March 2017

Have your say on how Community Infrastructure Levy is spent in Brent

From Brent Council

Brent Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) Priorities 2017-2020

Title of consultation
Brent Neighbourhood CIL Priorities 2017-2020

Who is consulting?
Planning Policy & Projects

Why are we consulting?

When developers receive planning permission for some larger, new developments, they're required to make a payment to the council. This helps fund local infrastructure improvements. This payment is called Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL). Of this, between 15-25% of the funds has to be allocated by the Council as Neighbourhood CIL.

On the basis of feedback received from this consultation, the council will decide how to prioritise spending on particular Neighbourhood CIL funded projects. These projects could be delivered by the council if they relate to council assets, e.g. a park. The council could also deliver projects that are good ideas, but where no other body came forward to deliver them. Alternatively, the council could allocate funds to local community groups where it believes that these groups can deliver the projects themselves.

To streamline the running of Neighbourhood CIL in the borough, Brent has been divided into five local areas: Harlesden, Kilburn, Kingsbury and Kenton, Wembley and Willesden. These are large enough to generate funds that can deliver relatively big projects if this is what the community decides the funds should be spent on. The areas are, however, also  small enough to encourage communities to feel they are likely to benefit from the projects that are delivered. Ultimately, the decision on what to spend the funds on still rests with the council, but we will provide clear feedback on how we have come to any decisions.

Links


Sunday 11 November 2012

Butt: First priority is maintaining budget integrity and making savings

In his report on administration priorities for the November 19th Full Council meeting, Council Leader Muhammed Butt outlines the pressures on the council and the likelihood that cuts in public expenditure will continue up to 2020, and concludes:
The Council therefore has a twin challenge. First to reorder its priorities to further provide individuals and communities with support in the face of these problems and secondly to make more cuts in expenditure whilst avoiding what the Local Government Association term the ‘Graph of Doom’. This Graph of Doom concept is a projection that if both cuts to public expenditure and demand for services remain on the same trend then by 2020 Local Government will end up only delivering waste and high end social care services. 

To achieve these two goals we are therefore proposing a package of proposals to address some of the immediate issues facing people. At the same time we are beginning a fundamental review of all the Council’s services. We must divert people from high end provision by supporting as many people as possible to live independent, fulfilling lives. It is only by fundamentally recasting what we do that we can serve the needs of local people.
However, these aspiration have to be seen in what he deems the first priority:
The first priority must remain protecting the integrity of the Budget and making savings.
He says that the One Council programme will deliver £80m savings by the end of the spending review period  but because of the pressures Members need to consider further project areas. The 'Members' may need help with translating the next section of his report:
However, as fundamental change is the only way to achieve genuine savings, long 'lead in times' will be necessary to reflect the growing complexity of cross council, and complexity of cross-partnerships, change and early indications form Members of avenues to follow will be vital.
Butt says that the Executive has set for itself 'three key and critical policy outcomes' for the next three years:

1. To promote fairness
2, To strengthen our community and
3, To support growth in the local economy

The question is whether those can be maintained given the funding gap that has to be bridged and whether   a more radical strategy is needed to avoid the 'Graph of Doom',  including setting a 'needs based' budget and mobilising against the Coalition's attack on local government.

The public are unlikely to have much information on the detail and extent of Brent Council cuts until early 2013 now due to slippage in the timetable.

Confirmation of central government funding for local councils will not be known until mid-December and the London Mayor will submit his draft budget on December 17th. Consultation with 'resients, businesses, voluntary sector, partner agencies and trade unions' on the Brent budget propoals is scheduled to take place 'up to Januaruary'.  The Budget Overview and Scrutiny Committee  will discuss the evidence collected and the 1st interim report on January 15th and the General Purposes Committee will agree the Council Tax and Business Rate bases on January 22nd.

The detailed  budget proposals will not be discussed by the Budget and Finance Overview and Scrutiny Committee until February 5th and just a week later, on February 11th,  the Executive  will consider the final proposals, including fees and charges for 2013-14 and cuts in the housing budget as well as rent increases.

The timetable means that public  'consultation' will take place over a very short period and that over the busy Christmas period.