Odd title................

[mk1]

I wonder if Mad Dog  gets the joke on the recent front page article....................


The Ping Pong Budget
Hartlepool Borough Council is facing budget cuts of £9m over the next two years and up to £20m over the next five. This amounts to almost a quarter of its total budget. Mayor Stuart Drummond tells us that it's going to get pretty grim for the next few years with forecast deficits for the period 2013-14 to 2016-17 expected to be between £17m and £20m.

These are tough circumstances for any authority to find itself in but the council found itself with ahead start with a £4m under spend last year and it's Officers, along with the Cabinet, had spent nine months putting a budget together for 2012/13 which would at least make a dent in the task ahead of it.

It February, we had the utter chaos of the cabinet sackings which followed Labour cabinet members refusing to support the proposed budget that they themselves had worked on for the previous nine months. This had followed the threat of de-selection in the forthcoming local elections if they continued to support the planned budget. A large part of that budget was the planned outsourcing of Revenue and Benefits tied in with a new contract to provide ICT Services. It had been estimated that this particulary part of the proposed budget would save around £10m over the next 7 years; a significant step in countering its budget shortfall in the coming years.

The rest of the Labour Group wanted not only to leave Revenue and Benefits as it was but to bring ICT Services back in house. Specifically, they cited the significant up-front costs of a new ICT contract as the main reason for their stance. At the same time, they wanted to salami slice the £4m under spend for a few of their own pet projects and re-direct the remainder to the General Fund where it would be more accessible for any future spending ideas.

Without the support of his own previous cabinet colleagues, Mayor Stuart Drummond was unable to achieve the two-thirds majority that he needed to force through the proposed budget and consequently nine months of work was, for a large part, replaced by a set of half-baked, ill-thought out proposals which came complete with their own signpost to budgetary chaos.

[testing times]

Perhaps it's me but does anyone else find that the thought that these people are in charge of a £91m budget is just a little bit frightening? These are difficult times and to see such people engaged in playing games when they really need to deal with the task in hand is disgraceful.

[not4me]

interesting read but I think it's all about Mad Marge resenting Drummond myself. If Drummond ordered tea Mad Marge would want coffee, I reckon.

[craig finton]

Drummond is his own worst enemy. What an opportunity he had but it seems he wanted to sail on a sea without waves.

[steveL]

I heard that, after the elections, Ms James went around the council chamber re-arranging the seats just how she wanted them and plans by council officers to re-allocate parking spaces because of the reduced numbers of councillors were mysteriously knocked on the head when she heard about them.

[mk1]

I heard that, after the elections, Ms James went around the council chamber re-arranging the seats just how she wanted them

I thought they were all bolted down to prevent hordes of out of town Pensioner troublemakers throwing them at the
cabal?

and plans by council officers to re-allocate parking spaces because of the reduced numbers of councillors were mysteriously knocked on the head when she heard about them.

There is method in her madness. Given the rate at which the Councillors are hoovering up 'donations' and awarding themselves big fat contracts we can expect and increase in the size of their cars. This will negate the decrease in individual numbers.
Surely  you do not begrudge those who better themselves spending their largese?

[steveL]

I think what we have here is a severe case of megalomania

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megalomania

[fred c]

I think what we have here is a severe case of megalomania

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megalomania

Twinned with a persecution complex..... it makes for a very mixed up individual.