Councillors working on next year's budget, which includes setting the level of Council Tax, are looking at ways to make further savings and increase income so they can protect essential services and invest in those areas which benefit local communities the most.
Like every public sector organisation in the country, St Edmundsbury Borough Council needs to plug a gap in its budget due to the current economic climate. A combination of reduced income from savings and more demand for some services means the council needs to save nearly £2.5 million over the next two years.
Cllr Paul Farmer, Cabinet member responsible for finance, said:
"It will be a challenge, but St Edmundbsury's reputation for excellence – especially in managing our staff and finances efficiently – means we are well equipped to tackle the future. We will protect the services which people tell us matter the most to them, such as safety, cleanliness and open spaces. And we will invest in those areas that will benefit people the most, such as job creation, economic prosperity and the environment."
Potential savings and income generation ideas being considered in the coming months include:
- looking at joining the Revenues and Benefits service with partners (£200,000);
- not replacing a vacant corporate director post (£70,000);
- rearranging services and contracts to cut staff overtime (£58,000);
- creating a heritage multiple entry ticket (buy one ticket and return for free) for Moyse's Hall Museum and West Stow Anglo-Saxon Village (£9000);
- replacing permanent with mobile staff presence at public conveniences in Bury St Edmunds and Haverhill (£65,000);
- increasing the level of prosecution costs asked for in court cases (£18,000);
- transferring ownership and control of community centres to local users (£90,000);
- reviewing the council's accommodation in Haverhill (in 2011), in partnership with voluntary agencies and other partners (£60,000).
Although the budget is not decided until February next year councillors and staff have been working on the viability of these ideas for several months. One innovative idea, for example, which would save money for families over a year while increasing income through higher spending on-site, includes a heritage ticket giving multiple entries to West Stow Anglo-Saxon Village and Moyse's Hall Museum. This would mean a family could visit both places several times, building up a better understanding of the area's heritage, from around 50p an adult for each visit.
These proposals, with several others, will be initially discussed by the Policy Development Committee next week, who will pass on their recommendations to Cabinet. Consultations will then be carried out with those affected by the proposed changes. Meanwhile work continues on identifying other areas where more income can be generated and savings made. This includes looking at further areas for partnership work, similar to the waste management partnership which already runs well between St Edmundsbury and Forest Heath District Council.
Cllr Farmer added:
"We will protect services and invest in communities through careful and sensible use of the money and staff resources available to us so we can keep Council Tax as low as possible."
Savings, or ways of increasing income, totalling more than £1 million (for example, through staff restructures and changes to staff benefits, increased income from schemes such as Kidzone in Haverhill Leisure Centre, and different ways of providing or buying services and goods) have already been approved by Cabinet. This is on top of around £5 million already saved over the past five years.
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Issued by Marianne Hulland, Corporate Communications Manager, St Edmundsbury Borough Council. Phone: 01284 757034. Email: marianne.hulland@stedsbc.gov.uk
