Boro's Cost Cutting Plans

[steveL]

Boro's cost-cutting plamns:

http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/middlesbrough-council-cuts-full-list-6325262


1. Stop provision of bedding plants for all areas other than Cenotaph, town centre, cemeteries and crematorium saving £100,000.

2. Cease replacement of felled trees saving £15,000.

3. Reduce maintenance of shrubs and hedges from annual to bi-annual saving £35,000

4. Reduce weeding applications from three times a year to twice a year saving £65,000.

5. Halve the frequency of litter picking and street cleansing saving £198,000.

6. Reduce grass cutting and associated works in public open spaces except formal spaces in parks, cemeteries and playing pitches saving £65,000.

7. Invest in vehicle technology that reduces the resources required to undertake road gully cleaning saving £35,000.

8. Terminate subsidy for allotments saving £10,000 and allow allotment holders to manage the asset.

9. Stop maintenance and upkeep of 1 bowling green in Pallister Park and two in Albert Park saving £10,000.

10. Merge parks, Streetscene and cemeteries management saving £100,000.

11. Contract out highways maintenance functions, which will create an efficiency of £600,000 to either help meet the financial gap or for more roads to be maintained.

12. Create a new enforcement service by combining street wardens, parking enforcement officers and council neighbourhood enforcement functions saving £200,000.

13. Stop funding for community councils saving £12,500.

14. Merge operation and management of the five community hubs - libraries as well as other community facilities - saving £348,000.

15. Redesign and contract out homelessness services and welfare and money advice saving £200,000.

16. Implement a new project based service model for Economic Development and Regeneration activity saving £391,000.

17. Merge Ayresome Industries with Streetscene services, which will result in management and accommodation changes, saving £54,000.

18. Close Clairville Stadium saving £104,000.

19. Reduce leisure centre opening hours and reduce staffing levels saving £700,000.

20. Contract out fleet management and vehicle maintenance services saving £156,000.

21. Contract out building cleaning services saving £400,000.

22. Contract out council property services saving £400,000.

23. Merge Environmental Health and Trading Standards management and admin saving £106,000.

(also Merge area care and waste management services saving £60,000)
             

Wellbeing care and learning

24. Renegotiate joint management costs with Tees Esk and Wear Valley Mental Health Trust saving £100,000.

25. Secure alternative funding for Middlesbrough Intermediate Care Centre saving £165,000.

26. Introduce a new operating model for Adult Social Care to reduce work required by fully qualified social workers saving £579,000.

27. Introduce a new operating model for Childrens' Safeguarding services saving £575,000.

28. Merge Childrens' Centres and Youth Services saving £500,000.


Corporate and Central Services

29. Modernise the way in which back office services are delivered saving £7,800,000.

30. Close Middlesbrough Teaching and Learning Centre saving £145,000.

31. Close the TAD Centre saving £90,000.

32. Close the Register Office and relocate registration of births, marriages and deaths saving £20,000.

33. Close Park House and relocate Childrens' Safeguarding teams saving £30,000.

34. Close the Albert Terrace facility and relocate Families Forward team saving £10,000.

35. Introduce new operating model for the Council Tax, Housing Benefit and Social Fund departments saving £271,000.

36. Introduce system of payments in advance for all council services and greater use of direct debits saving £68,000.

37. Increase number of council services accessed by IT to reduce face to face customer contact saving £75,000.

38. Reduce Trade Union facility time saving £43,000.39. Merge functions that support elected members saving £217,000.

[Interested]

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!

[tankerville]

Interesting. But another way of saving money that could also be applied here would be to reduce the number of councillors in each of the wards to only two.

Of course 'it would never happen' but it would make for a very good debate just who would be left in the wards after all the back stabbing and in fighting was over.

They could even make a film/television series out of it

I wonder under what title ? Suggestions please.

[Interested]

HBC still have some very difficult decisions to make over the next couple of years.

Unfortunately these cuts are going to bite us all for a long time yet!!

The structure of all LAs and services they currently deliver will look very very different in a few years time.

Heres a question which should evoke some interesting replies:

• You have to cut £20 million over the next 2 years from HBC - How would you do it?
  
  

[Ryehill]

 Middlesbrough Council have to make £106 million savings over the next 6 years, which is almost exactly what G.B. pay into the E.U. every 2 DAYS. I would prefer that money to be spent in this country than be used to prop up failing countries in the E.U.

[Hartlepudlion]

I rather like the app that Liverpool has developed. It gives all the relevant details for you to set the budget  for Liverpool. You can make cuts etc where you like but you have to be in budget. Of the thousands who have tried, only a few hundred have finished the exercise. Not sure if all were in budget, though. Apparently, the results will be analysed and some suggestions could be taken up. I was taken with the idea when it was shown last night on the box.

It would be good if this was available here but I rather suspect that items will be pinked thus not giving us the full picture. Plus Unison is so strong that contracting out would be banned here. Last year we lost 300 guaranteed jobs to be relocated to H'pool because of the refusal to contract out revs and bens. 47 subscriptions lost to Unison in exchange for 300 jobs lost to H'pool.

Incidentally, according to recent reports re Middlesborough cuts, Middlesborough has 2600 council employees. H'pool has over 4000. Draw your own conclusions.