Members allowances

So the extended and expensive investigation into member expenses is now drawing to an end with a report from the Independent Remuneration Panel going to Full Council on Thursday. A particular target for some opposition members has been the claims for reimbursement of in-borough travel expenses. Claims for the 51 councillors amounted to about £7000 last year and the investigation and review has cost far more in officer time! It is now recommended that every member should receive £100 per year to reimburse in-borough travel expenses whether or not they incur them which it is argued will save officer time processing the claims - although these claims will still need to be submitted for out of borough expenses! I feel able to comment on this as I have never claimed travel expenses whether in or out of borough and do not intend to start now. I am not sure how a scheme involving a flat rate payment is just or equitable. If in-borough expenses are going to be paid then surely payments should reflect the expenses actually incurred rather than a system which could cost £5,100 (i.e 51 councillors @ £100)and where every councillor is likely to be either over reimbursed or under reimbursed. In addition by paying this flat rate it will be taxable so further reducing the effect but benefiting the taxman. I would have thought that we should either decide not to pay these expenses, or if we are, then we should acknowledge that different councillors undertake vastly different workloads and reimburse what they have actually incurred. I have said that I would support the recommendations of the Independent Panel which I will do, but I do struggle to follow the logic of their recommendations.

Budget cuts

Cuts to funds previously allocated to the Council by the Government continue to hit us. The previous subsidy to deliver free swimming for the under 16s and over 60s has gone with free swimming for these groups disappearing from 1st August. A further sum of about £2.6M covering a range of revenue and capital projects has also been called back. Whilst the Government has protected the Council's basic formula grant, which is used to pay for the majority of our services, it is withdrawing other funds which were allocated to specific areas. These in year cuts are really difficult to deal with as they need urgent steps to stop spending money we know longer have. Whilst the cuts which we face for the next financial year will be far worse at least we will have greater control over which services should be prioritised and we will also have the opportunity to consult with residents and plan in advance.

A New Haven in the Green Belt?

Fairhavens have released information suggesting that their prefered option for building a new hospice is on Belton Hills covering a 7 acre site on our precious green belt. Whilst no planning application has yet been submitted the site has been identified as providing an ideal location. There is no doubting the great job Fairhavens and Little Havens have done over many years, and clearly the current site in Chalkwell Avenue is too small and inflexible, however is there really no alternative to Belton Hills - one of the few green lungs in the Town. There are tight restrictions on developing the Green Belt so it will be interesting to see how any future application is presented however is the hospice a strong enough reason to build on such am important area and if granted will it be followed by further applications?

Leigh Folk Festival

Spent some very enjoyable hours down in Old Leigh on Sunday enjoying a fantastic Folk Festival. Great music, fantastic weather, large crowds, enthusiastic performers and cold beer - who could ask for more! This follows on from another great Leigh Art Trail. These events really connect with local residents and demonstrate how effective it is when the community takes the lead. Congratulations and thanks to all those who organised both events - your hard work was worth it. If you didn't support these events then don't miss out next year. You will not be disappointed. Quite made up for the disappointment in South Africa. Anyone for cricket or tennis?

The West Lothian Question

Spent a long and hot day yesterday doing a uni trip to Loughborough with my youngest daughter.As one daughter leaves uni the next one is looking to finalise her own plans and the whole process does raise the dreaded issue of tuition fees. A particular bugbear is that Scottish kids pay no fees whereas English kids do - even if attending uni in Scotland. Devolution is all well and good - and perhaps no bad thing for the English! - however how can it be right that decisions on matters relating only to England are taken by all members and therefore heavily influenced by members representing Scottish constituencies whose residents are not affected. As it is the Scottish are over represented on a per head basis, although we have been promised action on this by the Government. I also remain to be convinced that as English taxpayers we are not subsidising this benefit which is not available to our own children. It is time for a clear convention that if a parliamentary decision only applies in England it should be taken solely by MPs representing constituencies in England. We also need equal sized constituencies and clear confirmation that if one country within the UK decides on a cost bearing policy it will only be the residents of that country which bears the cost. In the meantime Loughborough was a great place although they were invovled in the development of the football being used in South Africa!!

Budget - first impressions

No great surprises in the budget although with such a wide range of new intiatives the detail will need careful consideration. Clearly local government will be required to deliver substantial savings in expenditure so the hard work continues. The wage freeze for council staff was well signposted but good news that the exemption has been increased to exclude staff earning up to £21K. Many of these lower paid staff make a very important contribution to front line services and will feel the effect of other tax measures more than most. The freeze will help us make economies as against our original plans. Interesting that we will be receiving support to avoid a council tax increase next year, something which I welcome, but we need to see the detail. Also good to see the Government's plans to limit housing benefit thereby cutting public funding support to private landowners - this has been a running theme for some of our Indie members who seem unable to grasp those issues which are within our control and those which are not! However a Conservative chancellor has now started to grip the problem. Good to have a government which has a clear idea of where we need to go and how to get there.

Welcome

Welcome to my new blog giving me the opportunity to share up to date information on what is going on in Southend and in Southend Council and also to consult on important issues in West Leigh. Clearly the next few months are going to be challenging for us all. We have already received confirmation of cuts to funding previously allocated to the town in excess of £1M with the withdrawl of funding for free swimming for the young and over 60s with effect from the end of July - and this is only the beginning! Now all eyes are on tomorrow's budget.

Nigel