Tories to axe 120 jobs to deliver 2.5% tax rise (From Daily Echo)
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Southampton Conservatives to axe 120 jobs to deliver 2.5% tax rise
12:41pm Tuesday 26th January 2010 in News
TORY council leaders in Southampton have confirmed plans to axe 120 jobs in a bid to deliver the lowest ever council tax rise of 2.5 per cent.
A package of swingeing cuts and savings worth £8.1m has been tabled to plug a shortfall in the Conservatives’ £183m spending plans amid falling income and a rise in demand for services during the recession.
As revealed by the Echo three months ago, residents will be charged an extra £30 a year in council tax for an average Band D home taking the bill to £1,239, excluding police and fire charges.
The Labour opposition accused the Conservatives of a “slash and burn approach”
while Lib Dems said the tax rise was too high.
Under the budget proposals a controversial ten per cent council tax discount for pensioner households, worth around £1m, will continue and the Tories will again try to introduce an exemption for special constables, which was last year blocked by police paymasters.
The biggest job losses, 31, will come from the closure of the Whitehaven and Birch Lawn care homes after residents lost a legal battle against their eviction.
The job cuts will hit typists, ratcatchers, community workers, cleaners, environmental health and tourism posts.
As previously reported convicts will be brought in to help clean parks and streets.
At the same time six more social workers will be hired to cope with a quadrupling of referrals to adult care services. And more inhouse foster carers and child protection social workers will be recruited. The job losses come after 31 posts were axed in July. Last year’s budget saw 128 positions made redundant.
Unison branch secretary Mike Tucker said: “Council workers are concerned that they are being asked to provide the same level of service with r e d u c e d resources.”
Adult social care will bear the biggest savings, worth about £1.5m, where officials warn freezing payments to private care providers could threaten smaller firms and lead to pay cuts for carers.
Higher charges will bring in an additional £1.2m. They include previously approved hikes in burial and cremation fees, extra income from new home care charges, and new charges for replacement green waste bags.
However parking charges will be frozen and some halved.
In leisure, librarians will begin to be replaced with volunteers.
An operator for St Mary’s Leisure Centre will be sought while the management of the rest of the council’s leisure facilities is handed to a private firm later this year.
Tory finance boss Councillor Jeremy Moulton said the budget would deliver “high quality, good value for money core services”.
He said: “I know that the public are finding it tough right now and it is only right that the council cuts its cloth accordingly, becoming leaner and meaner than ever before in delivering services to the public.”
An extra £800,000 will be added to the roads budget to tackle ongoing repairs.
Labour finance spokesman Peter Marsh-Jenks said: “The Tories are proposing a budget that not only robs the poor to pay the rich but also adopts a slash and burn approach to essential services along with a desire to privatise everything whatever the cost to citizens.
“ Lib Dem councillor Steve Sollitt said: “The people of the city will be worse off and it will cost them more.” He claimed Lib Dems could deliver a lower tax rise while protecting services.
The Cabinet is set to approve the plans on Monday. They will go to full council later.
Comments(35)
Condor Man
says...
1:09pm Tue 26 Jan 10
southy
says...
1:22pm Tue 26 Jan 10
he his joking, lets see the errors he made just here. high quality easy one to pick on look at the state of the roads and pavements in the pass year or so.
good value for money i dont think so they repair a pot hole and with in 3 mths its back again. only for the cold weather to come along and make it even worse.
and thats just one core service
the oap homes it will cost more to have those oap in private homes and who will pay the tax payer thats number 2
and theres loads more you can added on, the trouble with the labour party now they are the same has the torys has are libs bnp ukip, the only real you choice you got that is different is tusc.
southy
says...
1:27pm Tue 26 Jan 10
Condor Man wrote:dont you mean less services condor. and increase of what just over £50 in in how many years 12 years. in the last 2 years you paying more for less services.
Sadly this is the right thing to do. It's totally unfair to force people to pay increases in council tax, especially those on lower or fixed incomes (like the retired). James, you're right about the 100% increase. In 1998 I paid £50 a month, now I'm paying over £100 for the same services.
Lone Ranger
says...
1:45pm Tue 26 Jan 10
t a price to pay!!
.
The employees that will go are not the best paid by a long shot so probably the least able to afford it......Screwing peoples lives up just to play the game of giving discount to people that dont probably need it.
freemantlegirl2
says...
1:48pm Tue 26 Jan 10
I don't think I'll sleep easy in my bed paying my Council tax whilst pensioners are being turfed out of their homes!
Low rise is good but at what cost?
RJCogburn
says...
1:53pm Tue 26 Jan 10
Isn't that the Social Services Department whose recently retired Director received an OBE for Services to Local Government.
He should hang his head in shame.
Linesman
says...
2:01pm Tue 26 Jan 10
freemantlegirl2 wrote:Well said!
So let me get this right, the senior citizens of this City are paying through the nose (some with their homes) to enable the rest of us to have a rise. We're all paying for special constables to have a tax holiday (wrong wrong, Police Authority please don't let that happen). Whilst 120 people are losing their jobs. Let's hope the Council give them a Council Tax break whilst looking for a new one if they live here! I don't think I'll sleep easy in my bed paying my Council tax whilst pensioners are being turfed out of their homes! Low rise is good but at what cost?
If this is the way the Tories think to act locally, what would be in store for the country if they should win the next election!
I suppose that grooms and kennel maid's jobs would be safe because lifting the hunting ban seems to be one of their high priorities!
My View from the Hill
says...
2:11pm Tue 26 Jan 10
Wait until they land the running of the country and slash payments to local authorities, the council tax will increase a hell of a lot more then, be warned
southy
says...
2:59pm Tue 26 Jan 10
MrGMan
says...
3:08pm Tue 26 Jan 10
thesaint
says...
3:11pm Tue 26 Jan 10
and having less councillors for a start.
,getting old people out of care homes is a disgrace.
tory,labour and liberal useless ar runing councils
TheRealDeal
says...
3:27pm Tue 26 Jan 10
southy
says...
3:48pm Tue 26 Jan 10
TheRealDeal wrote:pmsl oh that i like.
royston the hatchet man and his sidekick freddie moulton krueger are at it again!
its not a case people paying more gman. its a case of getting the right ones to pay more, like whitch areas cost us more like wealthy areas with there big homes and large amounts of land around there homes, it cost more to empty one rubbish bin in a wealthy area where has in a poorer area for the same cost you could empty 10 rubbish bins. there is ways to look at it so its more fairer to all.
bravebeth
says...
3:58pm Tue 26 Jan 10
All schools which were closed during the snow - should make up the time at the end of term or lose the pay for those snow days.
wilson castaway
says...
4:18pm Tue 26 Jan 10
Condor Man
says...
4:56pm Tue 26 Jan 10
southy wrote:If you take rubbish collection you only have to look at YOUR estate for the excessive amounts of rubbish generated and the high levels of fly-tipping. Plus, you only pay Band A for the service. You have a real cheek slagging off others seeing as you put the least in.
TheRealDeal wrote: royston the hatchet man and his sidekick freddie moulton krueger are at it again!pmsl oh that i like. its not a case people paying more gman. its a case of getting the right ones to pay more, like whitch areas cost us more like wealthy areas with there big homes and large amounts of land around there homes, it cost more to empty one rubbish bin in a wealthy area where has in a poorer area for the same cost you could empty 10 rubbish bins. there is ways to look at it so its more fairer to all.
Michael S
says...
5:17pm Tue 26 Jan 10
Condor Man
says...
6:16pm Tue 26 Jan 10
Michael S wrote:Not in terms of pension and NI contributions. Sadly SCC is top heavy with some of the most useless management around - hopefully the axe will be swung at the jobsworths rather than the decent staff.
If - instead of firing the front-line employees - they axed 120 middle management jobs, they would probably save four or five times the amount of money.
Derek of Dibden Purlieu
says...
6:24pm Tue 26 Jan 10
Condor Man wrote:I've noticed that the rubbish is dumped in mounds on the local council estate. If there is something in the pile that would get left if I put it at the end of my drive, it gets collected along with all of the rest as no-one knows where the offending item came from.
southy wrote:If you take rubbish collection you only have to look at YOUR estate for the excessive amounts of rubbish generated and the high levels of fly-tipping. Plus, you only pay Band A for the service. You have a real cheek slagging off others seeing as you put the least in.
TheRealDeal wrote: royston the hatchet man and his sidekick freddie moulton krueger are at it again!pmsl oh that i like. its not a case people paying more gman. its a case of getting the right ones to pay more, like whitch areas cost us more like wealthy areas with there big homes and large amounts of land around there homes, it cost more to empty one rubbish bin in a wealthy area where has in a poorer area for the same cost you could empty 10 rubbish bins. there is ways to look at it so its more fairer to all.
Derek of Dibden Purlieu
says...
6:30pm Tue 26 Jan 10
southy wrote:The housing estates are always clustered around the takeaways and the convenience stores which makes it more expensive to drive in from the nicer areas. The rural garages have gone and there are no supermarkets which all adds to the cost of living out of town. It's not all one way.
TheRealDeal wrote:pmsl oh that i like.
royston the hatchet man and his sidekick freddie moulton krueger are at it again!
its not a case people paying more gman. its a case of getting the right ones to pay more, like whitch areas cost us more like wealthy areas with there big homes and large amounts of land around there homes, it cost more to empty one rubbish bin in a wealthy area where has in a poorer area for the same cost you could empty 10 rubbish bins. there is ways to look at it so its more fairer to all.
southy
says...
7:44pm Tue 26 Jan 10
Derek of Dibden Purlieu wrote:i will point out to you a case that happen last year, where a driver and one passenger dump there rubbish out of a car window while on the move, ah wait cant have any thing bad said about where the offenders came from but all the same they came from chilworth.
southy wrote:The housing estates are always clustered around the takeaways and the convenience stores which makes it more expensive to drive in from the nicer areas. The rural garages have gone and there are no supermarkets which all adds to the cost of living out of town. It's not all one way.
TheRealDeal wrote:pmsl oh that i like.
royston the hatchet man and his sidekick freddie moulton krueger are at it again!
its not a case people paying more gman. its a case of getting the right ones to pay more, like whitch areas cost us more like wealthy areas with there big homes and large amounts of land around there homes, it cost more to empty one rubbish bin in a wealthy area where has in a poorer area for the same cost you could empty 10 rubbish bins. there is ways to look at it so its more fairer to all.
will point out to you the cost to run services to 10 homes in a poorer area is the same has it cost to run services 1 home in wealthy area, a wealthy area contributes less council tax than a poorer area, the best way i can see about it is charge by the sq meter of ground space taken up. including garden and driveways. that way if you want more you pay for what you got.
Paramjit Bahia
says...
8:03pm Tue 26 Jan 10
Are they not the same Tories who locally and at their party conference said they will freeze the Council Tax, which they are increasing along with destroying the jobs of low paid essential workers while protecting the fat cats on the top?
Now all those who were naive enough to trust them please put your hands up!
My advice as always is ‘NEVER TRUST THE TORIES’ and ‘THINK BEFORE YOU VOTE’.
Derek of Dibden Purlieu
says...
8:25pm Tue 26 Jan 10
southy wrote:That's OK then, it will be cancelled out by the fly tipper I followed back to Netley View council estate before calling the police which led to a prosecution. I do enjoy reading your posts because I gain pleasure from knowing what a bitter unpleasant and twisted life you lead waking every morning to be envious of everyone who has worked to gain more than you. The icing on the cake could be a paupers funeral knowing that someone else has had to foot the bill for your final trip.
Derek of Dibden Purlieu wrote:i will point out to you a case that happen last year, where a driver and one passenger dump there rubbish out of a car window while on the move, ah wait cant have any thing bad said about where the offenders came from but all the same they came from chilworth.
southy wrote:The housing estates are always clustered around the takeaways and the convenience stores which makes it more expensive to drive in from the nicer areas. The rural garages have gone and there are no supermarkets which all adds to the cost of living out of town. It's not all one way.
TheRealDeal wrote:pmsl oh that i like.
royston the hatchet man and his sidekick freddie moulton krueger are at it again!
its not a case people paying more gman. its a case of getting the right ones to pay more, like whitch areas cost us more like wealthy areas with there big homes and large amounts of land around there homes, it cost more to empty one rubbish bin in a wealthy area where has in a poorer area for the same cost you could empty 10 rubbish bins. there is ways to look at it so its more fairer to all.
will point out to you the cost to run services to 10 homes in a poorer area is the same has it cost to run services 1 home in wealthy area, a wealthy area contributes less council tax than a poorer area, the best way i can see about it is charge by the sq meter of ground space taken up. including garden and driveways. that way if you want more you pay for what you got.
Michael S
says...
10:36pm Tue 26 Jan 10
Condor Man wrote:"... hopefully the axe will be swung at the jobsworths rather than the decent staff."
Michael S wrote: If - instead of firing the front-line employees - they axed 120 middle management jobs, they would probably save four or five times the amount of money.Not in terms of pension and NI contributions. Sadly SCC is top heavy with some of the most useless management around - hopefully the axe will be swung at the jobsworths rather than the decent staff.
I thought that that was what I said.
Getting rid of 120 middle managers in useless, non-jobs would save a packet in pay; in employer (i.e. taxpayer-funded) pension contributions and in employer (taxpayer-funded) NICs.
IanRRR
says...
10:57pm Tue 26 Jan 10
Paramjit Bahia wrote:No Paramjit, your advice, as always, is to Tory bash at every opportunity, without coming up with an alternative plan. As for calling it Maggie Thatchers party, I think most people on here will recognise how silly that sounds, after all these years! Now lets relate all this to the modern day.... cut jobs, break promises and tell fibs? Sounds rather like Mr Brown and Mr Blair to me, but I suppose we could always blame that other loony lefty, Harold Wilson....?! I really think it is time to give up politics Paramjit, as you do not appear to be very good at it! Oh, and you keep backing the losers!!!
No surprise in Maggie Thatcher’s party doing only things they know; cut jobs, break promises and tell fibs. Are they not the same Tories who locally and at their party conference said they will freeze the Council Tax, which they are increasing along with destroying the jobs of low paid essential workers while protecting the fat cats on the top? Now all those who were naive enough to trust them please put your hands up! My advice as always is ‘NEVER TRUST THE TORIES’ and ‘THINK BEFORE YOU VOTE’.
IanRRR
says...
11:05pm Tue 26 Jan 10
southy wrote:There is a council estate in Chilworth, southy! Only a small one, but it is there if you look hard enough. Oh, and I think you will find that the big home owners in Chilworth pay a great deal more council tax than you or I? Whether it is enough, is not our decision. Why do you always see someone being rich as a bad thing?
Derek of Dibden Purlieu wrote:i will point out to you a case that happen last year, where a driver and one passenger dump there rubbish out of a car window while on the move, ah wait cant have any thing bad said about where the offenders came from but all the same they came from chilworth. will point out to you the cost to run services to 10 homes in a poorer area is the same has it cost to run services 1 home in wealthy area, a wealthy area contributes less council tax than a poorer area, the best way i can see about it is charge by the sq meter of ground space taken up. including garden and driveways. that way if you want more you pay for what you got.southy wrote:The housing estates are always clustered around the takeaways and the convenience stores which makes it more expensive to drive in from the nicer areas. The rural garages have gone and there are no supermarkets which all adds to the cost of living out of town. It's not all one way.TheRealDeal wrote: royston the hatchet man and his sidekick freddie moulton krueger are at it again!pmsl oh that i like. its not a case people paying more gman. its a case of getting the right ones to pay more, like whitch areas cost us more like wealthy areas with there big homes and large amounts of land around there homes, it cost more to empty one rubbish bin in a wealthy area where has in a poorer area for the same cost you could empty 10 rubbish bins. there is ways to look at it so its more fairer to all.
southy
says...
11:14pm Tue 26 Jan 10
Derek of Dibden Purlieu wrote:still full off bs i see derek. and i am not bitter or twisted at all or even envious of fools like you who let there greed get the better of them, has for the paupers funeral your wrong yet again. i have a choice whitch is more than most i can be buried up at the common in a family plot, or back of millbrook church another family plot or cremated, and it dont really matter what type of funeral it is because i be dead the same has you will be, we all will just end up has compost for the ground.
southy wrote:That's OK then, it will be cancelled out by the fly tipper I followed back to Netley View council estate before calling the police which led to a prosecution. I do enjoy reading your posts because I gain pleasure from knowing what a bitter unpleasant and twisted life you lead waking every morning to be envious of everyone who has worked to gain more than you. The icing on the cake could be a paupers funeral knowing that someone else has had to foot the bill for your final trip.
Derek of Dibden Purlieu wrote:i will point out to you a case that happen last year, where a driver and one passenger dump there rubbish out of a car window while on the move, ah wait cant have any thing bad said about where the offenders came from but all the same they came from chilworth.
southy wrote:The housing estates are always clustered around the takeaways and the convenience stores which makes it more expensive to drive in from the nicer areas. The rural garages have gone and there are no supermarkets which all adds to the cost of living out of town. It's not all one way.
TheRealDeal wrote:pmsl oh that i like.
royston the hatchet man and his sidekick freddie moulton krueger are at it again!
its not a case people paying more gman. its a case of getting the right ones to pay more, like whitch areas cost us more like wealthy areas with there big homes and large amounts of land around there homes, it cost more to empty one rubbish bin in a wealthy area where has in a poorer area for the same cost you could empty 10 rubbish bins. there is ways to look at it so its more fairer to all.
will point out to you the cost to run services to 10 homes in a poorer area is the same has it cost to run services 1 home in wealthy area, a wealthy area contributes less council tax than a poorer area, the best way i can see about it is charge by the sq meter of ground space taken up. including garden and driveways. that way if you want more you pay for what you got.
southy
says...
11:28pm Tue 26 Jan 10
IanRRR wrote:ian he dont all ways bash torys, i known him to prise some torys and what they supported or done. its a case of the thatcherites torys and some of the better ones, but most of the better torys have left the tory party and joined ukip. the same thing has happen with in the tory party its been over run by extreme right wing why well i put it down to thatcher and inviting the nf to join there party between 1981 to 1984. with the labour party it is run now by right wing people, and thats why maggie said about kinnock and blair here people that i can work with,
Paramjit Bahia wrote:No Paramjit, your advice, as always, is to Tory bash at every opportunity, without coming up with an alternative plan. As for calling it Maggie Thatchers party, I think most people on here will recognise how silly that sounds, after all these years! Now lets relate all this to the modern day.... cut jobs, break promises and tell fibs? Sounds rather like Mr Brown and Mr Blair to me, but I suppose we could always blame that other loony lefty, Harold Wilson....?! I really think it is time to give up politics Paramjit, as you do not appear to be very good at it! Oh, and you keep backing the losers!!!
No surprise in Maggie Thatcher’s party doing only things they know; cut jobs, break promises and tell fibs. Are they not the same Tories who locally and at their party conference said they will freeze the Council Tax, which they are increasing along with destroying the jobs of low paid essential workers while protecting the fat cats on the top? Now all those who were naive enough to trust them please put your hands up! My advice as always is ‘NEVER TRUST THE TORIES’ and ‘THINK BEFORE YOU VOTE’.
has with calling it maggie party well she still has a very big say what go's on in that party, one the worse things that was done was to give a baronett title we still not got rid of her and when she dies look who takes her place in the house of lords, yes your right her son mark.
southy
says...
11:36pm Tue 26 Jan 10
IanRRR wrote:yes i know and it is very small, if you look at the amount of ground that they cover they pay less per sq meter, and if you add up the total amount of council tax the whole area covers then compare it with say coxford whitch is lot smaller area. coxford pays more council tax than chilworth, redbridge ward puts the most council tax in to the council coffer's.
southy wrote:There is a council estate in Chilworth, southy! Only a small one, but it is there if you look hard enough. Oh, and I think you will find that the big home owners in Chilworth pay a great deal more council tax than you or I? Whether it is enough, is not our decision. Why do you always see someone being rich as a bad thing?
Derek of Dibden Purlieu wrote:i will point out to you a case that happen last year, where a driver and one passenger dump there rubbish out of a car window while on the move, ah wait cant have any thing bad said about where the offenders came from but all the same they came from chilworth. will point out to you the cost to run services to 10 homes in a poorer area is the same has it cost to run services 1 home in wealthy area, a wealthy area contributes less council tax than a poorer area, the best way i can see about it is charge by the sq meter of ground space taken up. including garden and driveways. that way if you want more you pay for what you got.southy wrote:The housing estates are always clustered around the takeaways and the convenience stores which makes it more expensive to drive in from the nicer areas. The rural garages have gone and there are no supermarkets which all adds to the cost of living out of town. It's not all one way.TheRealDeal wrote: royston the hatchet man and his sidekick freddie moulton krueger are at it again!pmsl oh that i like. its not a case people paying more gman. its a case of getting the right ones to pay more, like whitch areas cost us more like wealthy areas with there big homes and large amounts of land around there homes, it cost more to empty one rubbish bin in a wealthy area where has in a poorer area for the same cost you could empty 10 rubbish bins. there is ways to look at it so its more fairer to all.
Derek of Dibden Purlieu
says...
11:38pm Tue 26 Jan 10
southy wrote:Why should I muscle in and steal some of the grey dreariness of your council estate. I'll suffer where I am and leave the the oasis of Kendal Avenue to you and the classic Citroen owners club...... and the flat bed Transits of course.
Derek of Dibden Purlieu wrote:still full off bs i see derek. and i am not bitter or twisted at all or even envious of fools like you who let there greed get the better of them, has for the paupers funeral your wrong yet again. i have a choice whitch is more than most i can be buried up at the common in a family plot, or back of millbrook church another family plot or cremated, and it dont really matter what type of funeral it is because i be dead the same has you will be, we all will just end up has compost for the ground.
southy wrote:That's OK then, it will be cancelled out by the fly tipper I followed back to Netley View council estate before calling the police which led to a prosecution. I do enjoy reading your posts because I gain pleasure from knowing what a bitter unpleasant and twisted life you lead waking every morning to be envious of everyone who has worked to gain more than you. The icing on the cake could be a paupers funeral knowing that someone else has had to foot the bill for your final trip.
Derek of Dibden Purlieu wrote:i will point out to you a case that happen last year, where a driver and one passenger dump there rubbish out of a car window while on the move, ah wait cant have any thing bad said about where the offenders came from but all the same they came from chilworth.
southy wrote:The housing estates are always clustered around the takeaways and the convenience stores which makes it more expensive to drive in from the nicer areas. The rural garages have gone and there are no supermarkets which all adds to the cost of living out of town. It's not all one way.
TheRealDeal wrote:pmsl oh that i like.
royston the hatchet man and his sidekick freddie moulton krueger are at it again!
its not a case people paying more gman. its a case of getting the right ones to pay more, like whitch areas cost us more like wealthy areas with there big homes and large amounts of land around there homes, it cost more to empty one rubbish bin in a wealthy area where has in a poorer area for the same cost you could empty 10 rubbish bins. there is ways to look at it so its more fairer to all.
will point out to you the cost to run services to 10 homes in a poorer area is the same has it cost to run services 1 home in wealthy area, a wealthy area contributes less council tax than a poorer area, the best way i can see about it is charge by the sq meter of ground space taken up. including garden and driveways. that way if you want more you pay for what you got.
southy
says...
11:51pm Tue 26 Jan 10
classic citroen i would love to have one, but i dont they are hard to come by, because people got them will sale them, its rare for a top of the range classic citroen to come onto the market, no the model i got is still being made to day if you ask citroen to build you one, its there only model that they will build by special order. the c5 was ment to replace it but it did not match up to the same expections. so the c5 ended up replacing the 2nd range of models
MrGMan
says...
2:28pm Wed 27 Jan 10
Redback
says...
4:24pm Wed 27 Jan 10
MrGMan wrote:I know you didn't ask me, but imo the answer to that's simple. The rich should pay more, and the middle and low salaried should pay less.
southy should people pay higher taxes. yes or no?
-
If the tories want job cut savings, can I suggest a certain 85 grand spin-doctor?
soton-mike80
says...
9:49pm Wed 27 Jan 10
RJCogburn wrote:These decisions were made after the director retired - why should he have to hang his head? The new director and the councillor in charge of social services should be the ones hanging their head...
Most of the job losses are in the closure of Birch Lawn & Whitehaven Lodge old people's homes then.
Isn't that the Social Services Department whose recently retired Director received an OBE for Services to Local Government.
He should hang his head in shame.
Nice try to smeer a retired man - whose next? the homeless?
james47 says...
1:01pm Tue 26 Jan 10