Labour opposes budget built on £1m wish list of savings

High Peak Labour Group last night voted against the budget proposed by High Peak Borough Council.

Labour Group Leader, Councillor Caitlin Bisknell said: “We cannot vote for a budget which is based on a wish list of around £1m savings.

“The council is just building up a bank of debts – to add the council’s burgeoning portfolio of borrowing.

“The council had initially worked out its budget on 2.5% increase, but at the last minute has decided to dip its hands into the council coffers and use £54,690 from reserves, so that it can match Derbyshire County Council’s council tax increase – the council equivalent of keeping up with the Joneses.”

This years budget papers, though copious, actually give very little detail about how money will be spent – nor about how the savings will be made.

“You cannot make savings of £1m without there being cuts to services and staff somewhere down the line,” she added.

“In addition we now know that considerable sums need to be spent on Glossop Town Hall – so much so that the project has been dropped from the council’s building programme altogether, for the time being at least.

Another two other capital programmes have had their funding reduced.

• Derbyshire County Council has more than halved its likely contribution, from £750,000 to £330,000, to the Customer First programme of one stop shops.

• An expected grant of £90,000 from DDEP (Derby and Derbyshire Economic Partnership) towards Pavilion Gardens is no longer anticipated.

And the report contains is a hidden warning of increases in fees and charges, maybe not this year but in the future. Hiding behind an Audit Commission report councillors are told that is very clear that the role and importance of fees and charges will further increase in the medium -term.

The report also warns councillors that the capital investment proposals included in the programme will result not only in increased borrowing costs; but also extra revenue costs following completion of schemes.