'Nothing sacred' as Darlington and Durham councils face more multi-million pound cuts

9:22pm Tuesday 8th January 2013 in News Photograph of the Author By Andy Walker, Chief Reporter (Darlington)

FIGHTING BACK: Protestors march through Newcastle last year as part of a one day national strike against pension changes and funding cuts to the public sector FIGHTING BACK: Protestors march through Newcastle last year as part of a one day national strike against pension changes and funding cuts to the public sector

COUNCILS could be left providing only the services they are obliged to by law, the leader of one authority facing further multi-million pound cuts has warned.

As Durham County Council announced its cutbacks look set to top £200m by 2018, neighbouring Darlington Borough Council revealed it would have to find further savings totalling £17.3m over the next four years.

More than £24.4m worth of savings are already planned by the Labour-run authority, but its financial plan up to 2017, released yesterday, (Tuesday, January 8) shows that even more will need to be done to balance the books.

Those cut-backs will mean the reduction, or in some cases, the closure of services and Darlington's chief executive, Ada Burns, said nothing was safe from the axe.

"Absolutely nothing is sacred and nothing is off-limits," she warned.

The council has identified £3m of savings by making its operations more efficient, but that still leaves £14.3m left to find.

The figures will be discussed at a special meeting of the cabinet next Tuesday (January 15) before the 2013/14 budget is set by the council at the end of next month.

Council leader, Bill Dixon said the reductions, which follow the loss of £10.1m in Government grants over the next two years, were severe and might spell the end of services "the public takes for granted".

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He said the worse-case scenario was "that we literally provide nothing more than the statutory services - adult social care, childrens' social care and an element of highways and refuse collection."

“We have only just received our Government grant settlement for the next two years and the reductions are severe," Coun Dixon added.

“We may have to stop many of the services the public takes for granted; it is going to be very challenging.

“We will be undertaking detailed reviews over the coming months, leading to full public consultation later in the year.

“When we start consultation, I hope everyone gets involved, as the decisions we need to make will shape Darlington in the future.”

In Durham, finance chiefs still cannot say where more than £50m-worth of its £200m savings will hit.

In December, the Government cut the council’s spending power by 1.4 per cent for the next financial year and 4.6 per cent for the year after.

Next week (January 16), County Hall bosses will tell councillors that the authority’s overall budget will plummet by nearly £190m between 2011 and 2017 – and this is likely to top £200m by 2018.

Within those total figures, £20.9m will have to be cut in 2013-14 (£2.4m less than forecast) and £27.9m in 2014-15 (£1.9m more than forecast).

More than £90m has already been cut. However, for 2014 to 2017, savings of £53.1m are still to be identified.

The council says there is a high level of public satisfaction with how it has managed the cuts so far.

Forty per cent of residents felt switching to fortnightly bin collections, which it is hoped will save £2m a year, had had a positive impact on them, it said.

However, independent councillor John Shuttleworth, knowing around 1,600 jobs are being cut, said: “It’s all the ordinary working man, who produces something, going, yet the very senior managers stay in place. If we’re having cuts, they should be across the board.”

A report on the latest calculations will be presented to the council’s cabinet at Crook Civic Centre next Wednesday. it is expected to agree its budget for the year ahead on Wednesday, February 20.

Meanwhile, Redcar and Cleveland Council moved a step closer to a two per cent council tax rise - coupled with £4.4m cuts this week, while North Yorkshire County Council is facing a 14 per cent reduction in spending power in 2013/14.

Comments(41)

Gamechanger says...
9:47pm Tue 8 Jan 13

Its absolutely clear that the councils in the north are disproportionately affected by coalition cuts when compared to councils in the affluent south. We must not accept this. We all need to tell our councillors and our MPs loud and clear that playing politics with our lives and our communities has got to stop.

The fightback starts now.

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Hunty1 says...
10:21pm Tue 8 Jan 13

Gamechanger wrote:
Its absolutely clear that the councils in the north are disproportionately affected by coalition cuts when compared to councils in the affluent south. We must not accept this. We all need to tell our councillors and our MPs loud and clear that playing politics with our lives and our communities has got to stop.

The fightback starts now.
Agreed!

Report this post »

Daza says...
10:54pm Tue 8 Jan 13

Welcome to David Cameron's 'Big Society'

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Gamechanger says...
11:41pm Tue 8 Jan 13

This is our society not david camerons. Politicians exist to serve us not themselves.

Report this post »

loan_star says...
7:52am Wed 9 Jan 13

Nothing is sacred? Well apart from Councillors allowances and expenses, the number of councillors and the salary of the chief executive.

Report this post »

stevegg says...
8:29am Wed 9 Jan 13

loan_star wrote:
Nothing is sacred? Well apart from Councillors allowances and expenses, the number of councillors and the salary of the chief executive.
My sentiments exactly. Everything WILL be sacrificed to safegaurd their own jobs, goldplated salaries, expenses and pensions. Get rid over half the high paid management in the council who are not needed and that would save at least a million. But they would let frontline jobs who do work go before theirs, if Ada Burns were to go it would be the equivilent of saving 20 front line low paid staff. But we all know this will never happen!"

Report this post »

Jja says...
9:23am Wed 9 Jan 13

No money what should we do?? Let's buy everybody in the town a wheelie bin and new collection lorries to collect them. But everybody is happy to provide their own collection bags so why do it when money is so tight??? We have to waste the money we saved on closing the Arts Centre on something and we can close the Civic Theatre next year to pay for the lorries!!!

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1234user says...
9:54am Wed 9 Jan 13

@ Jja... Well put.

Kids & Co nursery were voted to close last night by the council, another essential valued service gone, leaving 180 children without places and their parents with yet more problems and stress trying to find the same standard of child care.

The Council are making the wrong decisions with the cuts, not listening to the very people who pay their salaries. Any respect for the Council has gone in my view, it is all to easy to blame 'the government' for the cuts.

As loan_star points out the cuts will be a the bottom of the council food chain not the top, after all, those making the cut decisions will not make themselves redundant!

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oliviaden6 says...
9:59am Wed 9 Jan 13

loan_star wrote:
Nothing is sacred? Well apart from Councillors allowances and expenses, the number of councillors and the salary of the chief executive.
Can only agree the councillors seem to put themselves above it all they are the true fat cats of society in this country. They should be made to take a cut along with the rest of us. Made also to be more accountable to the public for their in some cases gross errors of judgement.

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freelance says...
10:09am Wed 9 Jan 13

'COUNCILS could be left providing only the services they are obliged to by law'

as per Darlo councillor Dixon

yes and stick to that -

everything else is just to get councillors and overpaid officers more more publicity

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sarahd says...
10:36am Wed 9 Jan 13

Ok, so I agree harse cuts need to be made if we need to make savings but seriously, has anyone seen the actual wages of people in the council?

If you go on the website you can see everyone who is paid over £50k per year. There are quite a few. I accidently came across it whilst looking on their website for something and was horrified. ASSISTANT directors (10 of them) of departments on £66-£84k plus pension contributions of £15k equals a salary of 81-99k per year. Then the Directors (3) at £110-£137k and finally Ada burns on £186k. Absolutely ridiculous.

I know a 10% wage cut is a lot but surely at this wage, they could afford it. A 10% cut for them is full years wage for most people

Bare in mind that these people are effectively employees of a company, not many people who own their company get anywhere near this let alone employees

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GeorgeAlexander says...
10:37am Wed 9 Jan 13

Councillors are accountable it's called a ballot box! Also they don't receive a salary but they do get an allowance.
Want to make your councillor more accountable go to the ward surgery, their contact details are on all the various Council's websites, ring them, write to them.
Those who think they can do better should put themselves up for election and put their words into action. Shouting on the sidelines never changes anything.

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jsrace says...
10:39am Wed 9 Jan 13

stevegg wrote:
loan_star wrote:
Nothing is sacred? Well apart from Councillors allowances and expenses, the number of councillors and the salary of the chief executive.
My sentiments exactly. Everything WILL be sacrificed to safegaurd their own jobs, goldplated salaries, expenses and pensions. Get rid over half the high paid management in the council who are not needed and that would save at least a million. But they would let frontline jobs who do work go before theirs, if Ada Burns were to go it would be the equivilent of saving 20 front line low paid staff. But we all know this will never happen!"
The Banks and Local councils are to blame for the whole financial mess We are in at the moment! The Banks for their greed and the Councils for their utter incompetence and waste of finances to a degree which is breathtaking! Also for the complete dishonesty from both parties fed by a desire to line ones own pockets at the expense of ordinary people.

The only way out is to start with cleaning up local authority by removing their Authority and sending at least 90% of office staff to the job centre where they would be forced into a strange World where they would have to compete for a living rather than have it handed to them on demand.

I wonder how long they would last in an environment where performance is the key to survival rather than the reliance on the ability make believe to most of the tax payers that you are above the law and not answerable.

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the-big-yin says...
10:42am Wed 9 Jan 13

VOTE THEM OUT AND THE NEW ONES WILL DO JUST THE SAME !!!!!!!

NOTHING EVER CHANGES.....TRY TO GET THE COUNCIL TO STOP PUTTING PLANTS EVERYWHERE...THAT WILL SAVE MILLIONS...ALSO THEIR GRASS CUTTING TEAMS COULD BE LAID OFF OVER THE WINTER AND SET BACK ON WHEN NEEDED.....NOT FIND THEM JOBS WITHIN OTHER COUNCIL DEPARTMENTS.....JOBS FOR THE BOYS FOR LIFE.....

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David Lacey says...
12:06pm Wed 9 Jan 13

jsrace wrote:
stevegg wrote:
loan_star wrote:
Nothing is sacred? Well apart from Councillors allowances and expenses, the number of councillors and the salary of the chief executive.
My sentiments exactly. Everything WILL be sacrificed to safegaurd their own jobs, goldplated salaries, expenses and pensions. Get rid over half the high paid management in the council who are not needed and that would save at least a million. But they would let frontline jobs who do work go before theirs, if Ada Burns were to go it would be the equivilent of saving 20 front line low paid staff. But we all know this will never happen!"
The Banks and Local councils are to blame for the whole financial mess We are in at the moment! The Banks for their greed and the Councils for their utter incompetence and waste of finances to a degree which is breathtaking! Also for the complete dishonesty from both parties fed by a desire to line ones own pockets at the expense of ordinary people.

The only way out is to start with cleaning up local authority by removing their Authority and sending at least 90% of office staff to the job centre where they would be forced into a strange World where they would have to compete for a living rather than have it handed to them on demand.

I wonder how long they would last in an environment where performance is the key to survival rather than the reliance on the ability make believe to most of the tax payers that you are above the law and not answerable.
100% agree

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Birdyy says...
12:25pm Wed 9 Jan 13

stevegg wrote:
loan_star wrote: Nothing is sacred? Well apart from Councillors allowances and expenses, the number of councillors and the salary of the chief executive.
My sentiments exactly. Everything WILL be sacrificed to safegaurd their own jobs, goldplated salaries, expenses and pensions. Get rid over half the high paid management in the council who are not needed and that would save at least a million. But they would let frontline jobs who do work go before theirs, if Ada Burns were to go it would be the equivilent of saving 20 front line low paid staff. But we all know this will never happen!"
Love this sort of quote.

On the one hand public servants get paid too much and yet these people are also rubbish.

You get what you pay for; be it council services or employees.

Report this post »

theWorkerScum says...
12:54pm Wed 9 Jan 13

To be honest cuts at dcc are long overdue. When the amalgamation took place they kept all the managers from each district council and reallocated them middle management jobs. Even cuts in I.T could easily be made, due to the lack of new projects, rather than cutting front line services. Its amazes me that no action has yet been taken.

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The Grim North says...
1:05pm Wed 9 Jan 13

Britain is hanging on by its fingernails. We can only pay our debts due to an exceptionally low interest rate. Once interest rates go back to normal we will go bust just like Greece. National debt is set to double during the term of this government to £1.4 trillion. Thats £700 billion. More debt than Labour added in 11 years and more that the total added by all UK governments over the previous 100 years. You think things are bad now.

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theWorkerScum says...
1:12pm Wed 9 Jan 13

The Grim North wrote:
Britain is hanging on by its fingernails. We can only pay our debts due to an exceptionally low interest rate. Once interest rates go back to normal we will go bust just like Greece. National debt is set to double during the term of this government to £1.4 trillion. Thats £700 billion. More debt than Labour added in 11 years and more that the total added by all UK governments over the previous 100 years. You think things are bad now.
Well u know how to brighten things up. I can't see that happening to be honest, but it will take many years for things to get back to "normal".

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Lifetime Townie says...
2:44pm Wed 9 Jan 13

Darlo council is not short of money when it comes to the whims and fancies of the cabinet. Wheelie bins that we need only because other councils have them, too many councillors and the £56k a year propaganda mag that is stuffed through our letter boxes, to name a few items that are forced onto us by a financially incompetent lot in the town hall. But the items like rural buses, market toilets, kids nurseries are cut to give little saving but great convenience to the public. The only items off limits are the salaries for the top of the town hall hierarchy and the councillors allowances that will never be cut.

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judygone says...
4:20pm Wed 9 Jan 13

Lifetime Townie wrote:
Darlo council is not short of money when it comes to the whims and fancies of the cabinet. Wheelie bins that we need only because other councils have them, too many councillors and the £56k a year propaganda mag that is stuffed through our letter boxes, to name a few items that are forced onto us by a financially incompetent lot in the town hall. But the items like rural buses, market toilets, kids nurseries are cut to give little saving but great convenience to the public. The only items off limits are the salaries for the top of the town hall hierarchy and the councillors allowances that will never be cut.
Agree, dont think they will cut the mag. Also we should vote all these ppl out and try a new set of councillors out. A lot of them have been at the council too long, and take their job for granted. They never listen to what the public want.

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Homshaw1 says...
5:15pm Wed 9 Jan 13

COUNCILS could be left providing only the services they are obliged to by law

If they did that and did it properly it would be a big improvement

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jonty7 says...
6:37pm Wed 9 Jan 13

Gamechanger wrote:
Its absolutely clear that the councils in the north are disproportionately affected by coalition cuts when compared to councils in the affluent south. We must not accept this. We all need to tell our councillors and our MPs loud and clear that playing politics with our lives and our communities has got to stop.

The fightback starts now.
Have you ever lived in the south?
I left the north east 6 years ago and have lived in North & East London and Essex, the councils down here are just run better they adapted how they spend and have done for years, the problem with councils in the North East is that they have been stuck in there ways for years and will not adapt, don’t get me wrong they are not without fault in this part of the world just in my opinion better run.

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Nicholas_Till says...
7:22pm Wed 9 Jan 13

I don't object to councillors getting fair expenses (and sandwiches, indeed) for doing what does actually strike me as pretty taxing work, if they're conscientious about it - and that's beside the wear of dealing with loads of people, and criticism of course. I don't think it's a doss at all. But I'm against inflated salaries for officers, and commissar organisations like Common Purpose that are seemingly trying to control local government and much else. I think their people are so busy trying to get control of things that they never get round to learning how to run them properly.

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onedytoo says...
10:50pm Wed 9 Jan 13

One thing all councils could do is to stop restricting whree school and departments can purchase equipment and consumables from. I know from working in school that the approved suppliers were far more expensive than local shops, and I don't doubt the=hat this is the same in all areas of public service. OK, some things need to be restricted, such as medical equipment , to be sire of quality, but paper? biros? I know where I worked that the head teacher would buy paper, glue, pens etc. at local shops and recover the cost from general funds as it was far cheaper.

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arrivamole says...
11:11pm Wed 9 Jan 13

Concessionary bus passes? How much is wasted by our local council paying to bus operators for this service. I think you will find this will run into the millions every year.
money that could be spent better elsewhere

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fracker says...
10:47am Thu 10 Jan 13

Arivamole, Money that could be spent better elsewhere,were exactly,are you the fat bus driver that moans on about pensioners openly wile driving, you may be a pensioner one day,if you go on a diet .

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fracker says...
10:49am Thu 10 Jan 13

Arivamole, Money that could be spent better elsewhere,were exactly,are you the fat bus driver that moans on about pensioners openly wile driving, you may be a pensioner one day,if you go on a diet .

Report this post »

fracker says...
10:49am Thu 10 Jan 13

Arivamole, Money that could be spent better elsewhere,were exactly,are you the fat bus driver that moans on about pensioners openly wile driving, you may be a pensioner one day,if you go on a diet .

Report this post »

Spy Boy says...
3:02pm Thu 10 Jan 13

Gamechanger wrote:
This is our society not david camerons. Politicians exist to serve us not themselves.
Wherever did you get that idea ! They are a bunch of self serving, self absorbed wannabees. They appear shameless, ill informed and superfluous, not to mention overpaid.

Does anyone believe that they go into politics to help anyone but themselves ?

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Spy Boy says...
3:07pm Thu 10 Jan 13

loan_star wrote:
Nothing is sacred? Well apart from Councillors allowances and expenses, the number of councillors and the salary of the chief executive.
Does anyone know if any of those at the top have been sharing the pain of so many council workers in this town by getting made redundant ? From what we read here I would say that none of these over paid prima donnas have. Maybe DBC could enlighten us ?

( Don't hold your breath. )

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Homshaw1 says...
9:00pm Thu 10 Jan 13

onedytoo wrote:
One thing all councils could do is to stop restricting whree school and departments can purchase equipment and consumables from. I know from working in school that the approved suppliers were far more expensive than local shops, and I don't doubt the=hat this is the same in all areas of public service. OK, some things need to be restricted, such as medical equipment , to be sire of quality, but paper? biros? I know where I worked that the head teacher would buy paper, glue, pens etc. at local shops and recover the cost from general funds as it was far cheaper.
You can buy things cheaper at local shops than a lrge organisation can buy in bulk.

Sounds like either incompetence or fraud

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vercingetorix says...
10:20pm Thu 10 Jan 13

All these benefit cuts ...or most of them....will have to be rescinded...otherwis
e MILLIONS will become homeless and we shall at the same time have a huge crime epidemic with even basically honest people becoming thieves and worse just to SURVIVE...and the big joke is this , the governments financial experts have told them these cuts are a waste of time !...a drop in the ocean.....the same as a man thousands in debt switching to a cheaper brand of washing up liquid to solve his financial probelms

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David Lacey says...
9:30am Fri 11 Jan 13

You with the ridiculous name. RUBBISH!

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vercingetorix says...
10:23am Fri 11 Jan 13

hey Mr Insulting-for the-sake -of- it...if thats the most constructive comment you can make perhaps you shouldnt make any?......eventually you will see I am right , ....................
.......what a prawn

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mark.wilkinson says...
4:18pm Mon 14 Jan 13

The only things these two councils have ever held 'sacred' are their fat salaries and super generous perks.

It's enough to make me wanna puke. I'd sack the bloody lot of them and start again from scratch. They're corrupt to the core.

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mark.wilkinson says...
4:20pm Mon 14 Jan 13

The only things these two councils have ever held 'sacred' are their fat salaries and super generous perks.

It's enough to make me wanna puke. I'd sack the bloody lot of them and start again from scratch. They're corrupt to the core.

Report this post »

mark.wilkinson says...
4:20pm Mon 14 Jan 13

The only things these two councils have ever held 'sacred' are their fat salaries and super generous perks.

It's enough to make me wanna puke. I'd sack the bloody lot of them and start again from scratch. They're corrupt to the core.

Report this post »

Lifetime Townie says...
4:39pm Mon 14 Jan 13

Homshaw1 wrote:
COUNCILS could be left providing only the services they are obliged to by law

If they did that and did it properly it would be a big improvement
If this were to come true then we wouldn't need so many bodies in the town hall and we wouldn't need any Councillors at all. HOORAY! A massive saving in council tax, it has to come true!

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jsrace says...
9:59pm Mon 14 Jan 13

Lifetime Townie wrote:
Homshaw1 wrote:
COUNCILS could be left providing only the services they are obliged to by law

If they did that and did it properly it would be a big improvement
If this were to come true then we wouldn't need so many bodies in the town hall and we wouldn't need any Councillors at all. HOORAY! A massive saving in council tax, it has to come true!
If the Council leaders were to read the above comment, you can bet your shirt that they will be back tracking on their statements when it dawns on them that they have inadvertently and unintentionally come up with the solution to the wanton waste of public funds.

Lets just hope they have let the Genie out of the bottle so We can get rid of them and put a few good heads in their place.

Report this post »

Daza says...
6:26pm Tue 15 Jan 13

Who wants some more of D. Camerons 'Big Society' then!

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