Council Leader Colin Lambert's Budget Statement

Councillor Colin Lambert

The three years of setting a budget for RMBC by the Labour group has not been easy, facing the almost impossible task of setting a budget in our first seventeen working days in 2010 was going to be difficult, but when the government then increase the level of the cut from  £50 million to £64 million in one announcement it made the planning of the cuts and the impact of such level of cuts more severe.

By the time these cuts are fully implemented, the local residents will have seen £158 million removed from the planned budget, the 13th biggest cut of any council in England. This on top of the cuts to other public services, fire, police, NHS, bedroom tax, which has reduced income for many families, benefits cap and the discretionary crisis fund have all added to the misery many local residents are facing and has removed massive spending from our local community.

The first decision we took as a new council was to bring to a stop the salami slicing policies of the previous administration and to re-examine the contracts that we inherited.

We have, even through these exceptionally difficult times, still managed to see through a number of changes which are to the benefit of our residents.

The bringing back of services previously sold out to Impact. Highways, ICT, payroll, property services all brought back in house. Not by buying out the contracts but by returning these services back in house after a forensic examination of the original contract signed by the Lib Dem council.

Keeping open all of our libraries.

Keeping open all our Sure Start centres.

Keeping open all our community centres.

Investing in our townships.

Stock transfer of housing setting up the first Mutual Housing Scheme.

One Riverside completed and rationalisation of assets which has allowed us to fill Number One Riverside - when the Lib Dems walked away, they left us with a building that was potentially going to be seriously under occupied.

Signature of the Rochdale Town Centre Regeneration scheme.

Completion on key capital investment projects such as the new Leisure Centre.

Living wage implemented and to be upgraded from April.

Completion of Building Schools for the Future programme.

Delivered an Adult Care social enterprise.

Development of Cohesion Hub and Multi Agency Hub.

Multi Agency screening hub/Sunrise and integration into Rochdale Police Station.

Youth Offending Team working with Bury.

Joint procurement hub - Rochdale, Trafford and Stockport - target to save £500,000 this coming year.

Working on the intensive alternative to custody.

This year's budget

Public service delivery is changing.

This budget commits to a substantial investment and prioritisation of Children's Services. We have invested £5.4 million of recurrent funding, plus £5 million of one off funding over three years to address the issues we faced.  I believe that we have a strong leadership team and the right people in post to deliver the improvements required to tackle. As part of that we have delivered a MASS – Multi Agency screening hub - and will continue to invest in the Sunrise Team to ensure that we share data on a multi agency basis and protect our most vulnerable children. Rochdale is leading Project Phoenix which is the pan GM response to combatting CSE which involves the Police, Health Services and all local authorities across GM. 

The budget protects the most vulnerable in our society and with investment in re-ablement services ensure that people are able to live within their homes rather than going into hospital. The budget sees continued funding for re-ablement through our Stars Project and support for learning disabilities. The transfer of public health functions and funding last year has seen £14.7 million invested in activity to support the public health outcomes for the Borough’s residents. 

This budget protects our libraries and approves work to see our libraries as part of community hubs.

We are committed to tackling domestic abuse, the Council Cabinet will soon approve and we will as a council launch our commitments under the Domestic Abuse strategy and, working with our partners and with the additional investment from the Police and Crime Commissioner in Rochdale, we will bring perpetrators before the courts and be more able to support victims.

The budget provides for a continued burglary reduction scheme with capital investment. 

Capital 

A further £4 million to the already delivered £6 million of highways capital investment. Delivering £10 million of investment into the Borough's highways. An elderly lady in Middleton said that the HIP has improved her lifestyle in terms of her getting around the Borough safely.  I am also aware that many members of the Council have received many positive comments from across the Borough.

Investment in renewable energy. 

A £3.5 million pound investment in Kirkholt, a scheme to deliver new houses and road improvements.

Continued investment into our town centres.

Investment in the Town Hall.

20k for each Township for WW1 centenary  - to show our commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant and our Armed Forces families.

Increased capital devolved to Townships - £300k up to £400k and maintained the level of revenue funding devolved.

Investment in the way we deliver our services, investment in the website and customer access points, streamlining the way we deliver transactions on line. ICT are enabling our Think Family approach to become a reality, providing one approach to the collection and sharing of data. 

Focus on Contracting and Commissioning

We have delivered savings from contract renegotiation or mutual agreements to terminate but I want more done, so I am asking for a review of all Council Contracts to contribute towards savings, for a commercial approach to be applied to commissioning our services and contracts. 

And the work continues – to balance the budgets for 2015/16 and 2016/17 with another £51 million to cut, let me put all our partners on notice. Every contract is to be re-examined.