Peter Thompson announces plans for 2011 including savings of £8.2million
Leader of Hounslow Cllr Peter Thompson has announced budget proposals for next year which are set deliver a fourth year of zero increases in council tax and savings of £8.2 million.
Freezing tax is ambitious believes Cllr Thompson given the outside pressures the council is under. "The recession has reduced revenue due to fewer planning applications and costs to dispose of household waste have risen sharply by 0.93 million. The Government have made the situation worse by breaking the deal to fund the Freedom Pass, meaning an extra £1.46 million has to be found, and changing housing benefit rules, adding another £2.0 million to costs."
“We’ve worked hard and long to reduce bureaucracy, improve efficiency and by doing so kept the council tax bill low," says Cllr Thompson. We always knew that things were going to be tight for residents this year with the recent economic crisis continuing to put pressure on people’s money."
He confirmed the firm rejection of two controversial savings proposals from officers. "It is right that we rule out now suggestions for reductions in school uniform grants, and guarantee that school facilities will remain available to community groups on Saturday mornings. We are delighted to do both.”
He continued, “I am particularly pleased that are able to commit £700,000 to replace our social workers IT system. The mass of bureaucracy weighing on our social workers shoulders is a major concern for everyone who cares about protecting our vulnerable children. It can’t be right that 80% of their time is spent putting data into a computer when they should be dealing face to face with families in need. All this has been compounded in Hounslow as we have a particularly poor IT system which frankly reduces the time social workers spend with children and families. What other professional group would be expected to do such a difficult, unpleasant, traumatic job in such ridiculously inadequate circumstances? We can no longer accept having the people who are protecting the most vulnerable members of our society having systems that aren’t fit for purpose. Decent IT to support them just might contribute, ultimately, to saving a child's life.
"On top of this we are planning to spend a further £2.2 million to ensure that we put our Children's Services on a strong financial footing. We are totally committed to ensuring that all our children have the best start in life and therefore £1.9million to sort out placement and legal costs for looked after children and £36 000 to properly finance home to school transport will, I am sure, be well received by the residents of Hounslow."
Another area of growth is £200, 000 for the voluntary sector.
“We appreciate that the voluntary sector will have more calls on them for support and assistance, so it’s right that we increase funding for them. This money will help the most vulnerable in our communities. We believe that community groups, social enterprises and the voluntary sector can help build a stronger society for all of us."
February 23, 2010