Council's £12m budget cuts include axing 100 jobs (From Daily Echo)
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Conservatives may cut 100 jobs at Southampton City Council
12:20pm Monday 19th October 2009 in News
By Matt Smith, Politics and business reporter
Cllr Jeremy Moulton
COUNCIL bosses in Southampton are considering axing 100 jobs as part of a drive to fill a £12m budget blackhole.
Conservative council chiefs in the city are drawing up plans for the council's largest ever cuts The Tories say next year’s savings plan is needed to cope with the rising cost and demand for services in the recession.
But they insist important frontline services will be safe, despite the possibility of 100 jobs being cut.
Under the plans residents will be charged an extra £30 in council tax for an average Band D home – the authority’s lowest council tax rise at 2.5 per cent.
The gaping hole comes after the Conservatives approved a mid-year mini budget in July, axing 31 jobs and giving them £1.5m of savings from day one next year, including a controversial move to create a multi-skilled army of 55 civic enforcers dubbed “stormtroopers” by one councillor.
It also comes just ten months after council bosses axed a further 128 jobs and put the average Band D council tax up £39 to £1,213, a 3.3 per cent rise, in an £11m cuts package.
Despite the cuts council chiefs are also spending £85,000 a year on a powerful spin doctor to brush up the council’s image and sell the raft of cuts and “efficiencies” to affected groups.
Finance chiefs are planning a £185m budget, excluding schools, but they say falling income and the difference between the rising cost of services for which they will get a central government grant will leave them nearly £6m short, without raising council tax.
They complain income from parking has collapsed, and are now cutting parking charges by up to 50 per cent to lure back motorists, while the cost of supporting benefit applications has also shot up as thousands lose their jobs.
Extra costs include higher demand for foster carers, more social workers and children in care and more expensive learning disability packages.
Tories are spending an extra £800,000 on road maintenance, having to pay off borrowing to replace two-thirds of the city’s street lights and the project costs of rebuilding five secondary schools. They will also be continuing to give pensioner householders a ten per cent council tax discount at a cost of over £1m.
It will all result in a budget black hole of £12.1m.
Tories have warned “a light will be shone in all corners of the council to see where efficiencies can be made”.
But opposition Labour finance spokesman councillor Peter Marsh-Jenks said before all the figures were in, before Christmas at best, it was all “educated guesswork” and the sums did not justify “another Moulton meltdown”.
Finance boss Jeremy Moulton denied scare-mongering and said the figures were likely to get worse.
He claimed to have found £6m of “efficiencies” which won’t impact frontline services. They include paying private residential homes and care firms less, cutting back office staff and costs, and cutting highways insurance premiums. However, the full details are being kept secret.
A further £3m will be found by raiding reserves, giving staff a one per cent rather than two per cent rise, and clawing back more debt from council tax dodgers.
Summons notices will go up by £10 to £70.
It leaves £3m more to fund through sharp cuts.
Some cash will be saved by sending out council magazines fewer times each year, councillors’ allowances will be frozen, and the number of council meetings will be reduced from seven to four to cut the cost of “bureaucracy”.
However Councillor Moulton ruled out ending weekly bin collections, closing swimming pools, or charging for first residents’ parking permits.
He said: "We are working hard to keep deliver more for less, to make the city council more efficient and keep council tax as low as possible.
"At the same time time we are focused on protecting front line services and ensuring that we do all we can to look after the most vulnerable."
Tories are keeping the council tax rise below 2.5 per cent in line with a pledge that a Conservative government would give councils that did so extra cash from Whitehall to pay for a two-year freeze on bills.
Southampton’s Tory Cabinet will next Monday launch a consultation on the cuts which will be published in January.
Comments(59)
peachy1
says...
12:44pm Mon 19 Oct 09
Justabloke
says...
12:48pm Mon 19 Oct 09
southy
says...
12:54pm Mon 19 Oct 09
peachy pest control is in private hands, they only do the paper work in the council office.
stmarysmush bnp is not the answer. the cnwp will have the answers when the next local election are up
goard
says...
1:05pm Mon 19 Oct 09
goard
Condor Man
says...
1:17pm Mon 19 Oct 09
southy
says...
1:31pm Mon 19 Oct 09
its time for change all right but not a right wing one again, it need to be a left wing policy,
Condor Man
says...
1:59pm Mon 19 Oct 09
southy wrote:poorly paid with long hours? all SCC staff are entitled to 10 hours a month flexi time- get your facts right
the torys waste more money than any one else, not in admin but on there spin doctors, and there poor planning, the biggest problem is those at the top they want to much pay, while those who really do the work is poorly paid and work very long hours. its time for change all right but not a right wing one again, it need to be a left wing policy,
southy
says...
2:15pm Mon 19 Oct 09
Condor Man wrote:you get your facts right, those 10 hour are on top of the 48 hour week they got to do.
southy wrote:poorly paid with long hours? all SCC staff are entitled to 10 hours a month flexi time- get your facts right
the torys waste more money than any one else, not in admin but on there spin doctors, and there poor planning, the biggest problem is those at the top they want to much pay, while those who really do the work is poorly paid and work very long hours. its time for change all right but not a right wing one again, it need to be a left wing policy,
Condor Man
says...
2:22pm Mon 19 Oct 09
Family Man
says...
2:22pm Mon 19 Oct 09
southy
says...
2:34pm Mon 19 Oct 09
Saintly Sinner
says...
2:43pm Mon 19 Oct 09
No doubt Cllr Moulton will blame the government, he does for everything else.
Services will be stripped to the bone, and for what?
Better get used to it, it will only get worse.
Lone Ranger
says...
2:46pm Mon 19 Oct 09
Condor Man wrote:I would hardly call increasing council tax by 2.5% trying to reduce it, when CPI is at 1.1% and RPI is 1.4%... So the voters got anther raw deal from the Con-servatives.
People voted the Tories in to reduce council tax so I suppose they are meeting the demands of their voters. SCC waste so much money on staffing costs it's no wonder there's no money left.
.
By not cutting "frontline services" does that mean we are still paying for the spin doctor some £80k. Be interesting to see if the boys at the top will be increasing their pay and expenses in the coming months.
.
Councillor Dean was rather keyboard happy over the weekend.....wonder if he's about today trying to justify more Con-servative failure
Saintly Sinner
says...
2:56pm Mon 19 Oct 09
Lone Ranger wrote:I thought about Cllr Dean myself,
Condor Man wrote:I would hardly call increasing council tax by 2.5% trying to reduce it, when CPI is at 1.1% and RPI is 1.4%... So the voters got anther raw deal from the Con-servatives.
People voted the Tories in to reduce council tax so I suppose they are meeting the demands of their voters. SCC waste so much money on staffing costs it's no wonder there's no money left.
.
By not cutting "frontline services" does that mean we are still paying for the spin doctor some £80k. Be interesting to see if the boys at the top will be increasing their pay and expenses in the coming months.
.
Councillor Dean was rather keyboard happy over the weekend.....wonder if he's about today trying to justify more Con-servative failure
I bet his 3 million quid roads budgets just got pole-axed, I think he must have been trying to break this news to us gently, when he said,
"I'm improving roads whilst making savings" yeah right,
Good old Tory councillors, making us pay for the their lack of leadership.
thesaint
says...
3:01pm Mon 19 Oct 09
freemantlegirl2
says...
3:03pm Mon 19 Oct 09
Saintly Sinner wrote:Hear, hear and he had the bare faced cheek to try and slag a few people off for 'policing costs' of a demo that the Council weren't even paying for. i have a suggestion, STOP employing spin doctors for £80k a year....! stop paying for architect's fees for pie in the sky schemes that in the current climate haven't a hope of being funded or built. I wonder how many elderly care homes they are going to close, social care units for families they will try to cut, and all the other sneaky cuts that they will make. An increase in Council Tax was inevitable whoever is in power though. I don't mind paying it, if it's spent wisely!
Lone Ranger wrote:I thought about Cllr Dean myself,
Condor Man wrote:I would hardly call increasing council tax by 2.5% trying to reduce it, when CPI is at 1.1% and RPI is 1.4%... So the voters got anther raw deal from the Con-servatives.
People voted the Tories in to reduce council tax so I suppose they are meeting the demands of their voters. SCC waste so much money on staffing costs it's no wonder there's no money left.
.
By not cutting "frontline services" does that mean we are still paying for the spin doctor some £80k. Be interesting to see if the boys at the top will be increasing their pay and expenses in the coming months.
.
Councillor Dean was rather keyboard happy over the weekend.....wonder if he's about today trying to justify more Con-servative failure
I bet his 3 million quid roads budgets just got pole-axed, I think he must have been trying to break this news to us gently, when he said,
"I'm improving roads whilst making savings" yeah right,
Good old Tory councillors, making us pay for the their lack of leadership.
thesaint
says...
3:03pm Mon 19 Oct 09
stmarysmush wrote:thicko alert ,get a job and a education and stop living on benifits.
BNP in I say. Tories cant do the job...labour are no better.......next are the Lib Dems... who want drug free drug clinics to keep crime down.
VOTE BNP GIVE THEM THEIR CHANCE.
southy
says...
3:10pm Mon 19 Oct 09
Lone Ranger
says...
3:21pm Mon 19 Oct 09
southy wrote:Is there one standing in Southampton for both the national and local elections......if not then how will it suit fg2 better
freemantlegirl2 the cnwp & socialist party might suit your needs better, when the time comes to vote.at lest you can get incontact with a socialist party member.
stmarysmush
says...
3:27pm Mon 19 Oct 09
thesaint wrote:lol.....been in continuous employment all my life. Seen govenments come and go....there all similar just adjust taxes here or there to suit themselves it aint rocket science is it. None of them have the working man at heart.......just greed for there own pockets. If the people of Southampton keep complaining about the council vote another party in.
stmarysmush wrote: BNP in I say. Tories cant do the job...labour are no better.......next are the Lib Dems... who want drug free drug clinics to keep crime down. VOTE BNP GIVE THEM THEIR CHANCE.thicko alert ,get a job and a education and stop living on benifits.
Paramjit Bahia
says...
3:49pm Mon 19 Oct 09
In fact people have hardly seen the real nastiness resting under the skin of ‘Blue Blair’ Cameron’s Conservatives.
But sadly it is the New Labour’s treachery that has made Tories electable. Ordinary decent people will be paying the price for the betrayal of old Labour values by Brown and others of his ilk.
southy
says...
3:54pm Mon 19 Oct 09
Lone Ranger wrote:there will be in some form weather it be under the cnwp new name, or under the socialist party them selfs, will know more at the socialist conference meeting, and the cnwp meeting on the 7th and 8th november, if any one wants to go you can book up on this web site www.socialism2009.ne
southy wrote:Is there one standing in Southampton for both the national and local elections......if not then how will it suit fg2 better
freemantlegirl2 the cnwp & socialist party might suit your needs better, when the time comes to vote.at lest you can get incontact with a socialist party member.
t, the cnwp meeting is just around the corner on the 7th. whitch i shall be attending.
Condor Man
says...
3:56pm Mon 19 Oct 09
Family Man wrote:Most SCC staff use flex to maximise their holidays. Few work over their 37 hours unless they want to claim flex. They are the most flexible employer in the region.
Condor man: Flexi time is an agreement whereby employees are able to flex their time, and is entirely resource neutral. So any hours worked in excess of conditioned hours can be taken as time off, attendance times can be changed within set limits (so for eaxample you could work 10:00 - 18:00 and 07:30 - 15:30 another) but with business need overriding everything. Any flexi time off has to be made up so that full conditioned hours are worked. It is not an entitlement to additional time off... but in allowing time to be flexed, you do not have often vexacious requests to attend school assemblies, time to take children to hospital, time off to let the gas man in.... It is very much a win-win situation for both employer and employee. Your comment was ill-informed and ill conceived.
Bartonian
says...
3:59pm Mon 19 Oct 09
southy wrote:Think one stands a better chance of making contact with Lord Lucan than a socialist. That's unless one lives in the Redbridge area, spending much of their free time writing tripe on this web forum!
freemantlegirl2 the cnwp & socialist party might suit your needs better, when the time comes to vote.at lest you can get incontact with a socialist party member.
southy
says...
4:19pm Mon 19 Oct 09
Condor Man wrote:37 hours try again, they do 48 hour week. 37 hours week was in the days back before the 80's
Family Man wrote:Most SCC staff use flex to maximise their holidays. Few work over their 37 hours unless they want to claim flex. They are the most flexible employer in the region.
Condor man: Flexi time is an agreement whereby employees are able to flex their time, and is entirely resource neutral. So any hours worked in excess of conditioned hours can be taken as time off, attendance times can be changed within set limits (so for eaxample you could work 10:00 - 18:00 and 07:30 - 15:30 another) but with business need overriding everything. Any flexi time off has to be made up so that full conditioned hours are worked. It is not an entitlement to additional time off... but in allowing time to be flexed, you do not have often vexacious requests to attend school assemblies, time to take children to hospital, time off to let the gas man in.... It is very much a win-win situation for both employer and employee. Your comment was ill-informed and ill conceived.
Lone Ranger
says...
4:20pm Mon 19 Oct 09
southy wrote:Southy:-If we go the cnwp meeting how do we know which one is you?
Lone Ranger wrote:there will be in some form weather it be under the cnwp new name, or under the socialist party them selfs, will know more at the socialist conference meeting, and the cnwp meeting on the 7th and 8th november, if any one wants to go you can book up on this web site www.socialism2009.ne t, the cnwp meeting is just around the corner on the 7th. whitch i shall be attending.southy wrote: freemantlegirl2 the cnwp & socialist party might suit your needs better, when the time comes to vote.at lest you can get incontact with a socialist party member.Is there one standing in Southampton for both the national and local elections......if not then how will it suit fg2 better
Saintly Sinner
says...
4:31pm Mon 19 Oct 09
freemantlegirl2 wrote:Oh yes freemantlegirl2, he was quick enough to slag people off (you l recall) but when some factual questioned were asked of Cllr Dean, I think fingers must have gone on strike, ooop's shouldn't mention strikes the Tories don't like that word.
Saintly Sinner wrote:Hear, hear and he had the bare faced cheek to try and slag a few people off for 'policing costs' of a demo that the Council weren't even paying for. i have a suggestion, STOP employing spin doctors for £80k a year....! stop paying for architect's fees for pie in the sky schemes that in the current climate haven't a hope of being funded or built. I wonder how many elderly care homes they are going to close, social care units for families they will try to cut, and all the other sneaky cuts that they will make. An increase in Council Tax was inevitable whoever is in power though. I don't mind paying it, if it's spent wisely!
Lone Ranger wrote:I thought about Cllr Dean myself,
Condor Man wrote:I would hardly call increasing council tax by 2.5% trying to reduce it, when CPI is at 1.1% and RPI is 1.4%... So the voters got anther raw deal from the Con-servatives.
People voted the Tories in to reduce council tax so I suppose they are meeting the demands of their voters. SCC waste so much money on staffing costs it's no wonder there's no money left.
.
By not cutting "frontline services" does that mean we are still paying for the spin doctor some £80k. Be interesting to see if the boys at the top will be increasing their pay and expenses in the coming months.
.
Councillor Dean was rather keyboard happy over the weekend.....wonder if he's about today trying to justify more Con-servative failure
I bet his 3 million quid roads budgets just got pole-axed, I think he must have been trying to break this news to us gently, when he said,
"I'm improving roads whilst making savings" yeah right,
Good old Tory councillors, making us pay for the their lack of leadership.
I don't doubt for a second they will make the savings required, but at what cost?
Captia staff being made redundant? No chance of that,
Council posts/staff (whats left) being deleted, Oh yes I think so, selling off more artefacts that belong to the people, most likely, they can't sell our old people down the river, they just stick them in private care that will eventually cost us more money because the private care company will charge the council more with no alternative.
Our leisure facilities are going private, so will have to pay more to enjoy them.
Good Old Tories, the rich get rich, and poor get sod all
Bartonian
says...
4:32pm Mon 19 Oct 09
Lone Ranger wrote:He'd be wearing an order of Lenin medal that he's bought from a junk shop!
southy wrote:Southy:-If we go the cnwp meeting how do we know which one is you?Lone Ranger wrote:there will be in some form weather it be under the cnwp new name, or under the socialist party them selfs, will know more at the socialist conference meeting, and the cnwp meeting on the 7th and 8th november, if any one wants to go you can book up on this web site www.socialism2009.ne t, the cnwp meeting is just around the corner on the 7th. whitch i shall be attending.southy wrote: freemantlegirl2 the cnwp & socialist party might suit your needs better, when the time comes to vote.at lest you can get incontact with a socialist party member.Is there one standing in Southampton for both the national and local elections......if not then how will it suit fg2 better
simon soton
says...
4:41pm Mon 19 Oct 09
Councillor Matthew Dean
says...
4:45pm Mon 19 Oct 09
We are spending more on the roads...
more on the elderly...
and more on education...
Condor Man
says...
4:48pm Mon 19 Oct 09
Councillor Matthew Dean wrote:you'd do better to crack down on the absences from work and the thousands wasted every year employing temps to cover the hoards on the sick.
Just a point of fact; We are spending more on the roads... more on the elderly... and more on education...
Lone Ranger
says...
5:09pm Mon 19 Oct 09
Councillor Matthew Dean wrote:Yes the Labour government can claim that Cllr Dean but like them, i ask you, what are the results like.
Just a point of fact; We are spending more on the roads... more on the elderly... and more on education...
.
You and your party are the first to say that these monies nationally are not spent correctly...so why should we believe that yours are.
.
You have not proven to anyone that the way you spend money is benefiting the residents of Southampton in any major way.
.
As so many of your supporters on this site dont have the knowledge to defend your parties spending habits so can you firstly justify the £80k salary for a spin doctor at the cost of REAL peoples jobs.
.
I think as a council tax payer, whose money your party wastes, i have a right to know.....the floor is yours.
.
You may also give me a few reasons to vote for you at the next local elections.....if this column is long enough
Cyber-Fug
says...
5:15pm Mon 19 Oct 09
southy wrote:Southy, once again you are so wrong.... 37hours it is - trust me on this one!!
Condor Man wrote:37 hours try again, they do 48 hour week. 37 hours week was in the days back before the 80's
Family Man wrote:Most SCC staff use flex to maximise their holidays. Few work over their 37 hours unless they want to claim flex. They are the most flexible employer in the region.
Condor man: Flexi time is an agreement whereby employees are able to flex their time, and is entirely resource neutral. So any hours worked in excess of conditioned hours can be taken as time off, attendance times can be changed within set limits (so for eaxample you could work 10:00 - 18:00 and 07:30 - 15:30 another) but with business need overriding everything. Any flexi time off has to be made up so that full conditioned hours are worked. It is not an entitlement to additional time off... but in allowing time to be flexed, you do not have often vexacious requests to attend school assemblies, time to take children to hospital, time off to let the gas man in.... It is very much a win-win situation for both employer and employee. Your comment was ill-informed and ill conceived.
Cyber-Fug
says...
5:22pm Mon 19 Oct 09
Condor Man wrote:And get rid of the "good employee awards" ceremony must that cost a samml fortune to host. Also, while your at it..... why not use common sense when "redesigning" and relocating the offices and staff instead of paying Capita ? I have recently heard that one proposed office has to be done twice because the end venue wont be ready.... thats twice the work needed.... is it a coincidence that of the IT / communication is being carried out by a company that is also owned by Capita ?
Councillor Matthew Dean wrote:you'd do better to crack down on the absences from work and the thousands wasted every year employing temps to cover the hoards on the sick.
Just a point of fact; We are spending more on the roads... more on the elderly... and more on education...
Cyber-Fug
says...
5:25pm Mon 19 Oct 09
Condor Man wrote:And get rid of the "good employee awards" ceremony must that cost a samml fortune to host. Also, while your at it..... why not use common sense when "redesigning" and relocating the offices and staff instead of paying Capita ? I have recently heard that one proposed office has to be done twice because the end venue wont be ready.... thats twice the work needed.... is it a coincidence that of the IT / communication is being carried out by a company that is also owned by Capita ?
Councillor Matthew Dean wrote:you'd do better to crack down on the absences from work and the thousands wasted every year employing temps to cover the hoards on the sick.
Just a point of fact; We are spending more on the roads... more on the elderly... and more on education...
Councillor Matthew Dean
says...
5:26pm Mon 19 Oct 09
I would be happy to give you a spirited defence of what the council is doing to further the interests of the city but I fear that given your political prejudices, I may not be able to convince you...
Matt
Councillor Matthew Dean
says...
5:30pm Mon 19 Oct 09
Capita do have the IT contract at the council but not the communications role.
Regards,
Matt
Condor Man
says...
5:33pm Mon 19 Oct 09
Councillor Matthew Dean wrote:Matt, sadly there are too many socialists who are either living off the wealthy or deluded into thinking there's a bottomless pit of money to prop them up. SCC have saved a fortune outsourcing, don't forget the Lib Dums originally proposed it. Norah Goss fell on her sword to stop Labour ruining her efforts to sort out the civic finances.
Lone Ranger, I would be happy to give you a spirited defence of what the council is doing to further the interests of the city but I fear that given your political prejudices, I may not be able to convince you... Matt
We're not a wealthy city so need to cut our cloth accordingly.
Saintly Sinner
says...
6:11pm Mon 19 Oct 09
Councillor Matthew Dean wrote:Councillor, you forgot to mention all the other privatised Captia contracts,
Cyber Fug,
Capita do have the IT contract at the council but not the communications role.
Regards,
Matt
Finance, Salaries, Council Tax Billing, Housing service's, Rent service's Architects, Legal, Human Resources and planning to mention but a few.
No doubt Captia will be taking over our leisure centres as well
Saintly Sinner
says...
6:28pm Mon 19 Oct 09
Lone Ranger
says...
6:29pm Mon 19 Oct 09
Councillor Matthew Dean wrote:On the contrary Cllr.....i really would like someone to give a spirited defence of your parties actions as i am not like one or two on this site who, on the face of it, cream up to the Tory party.
Lone Ranger, I would be happy to give you a spirited defence of what the council is doing to further the interests of the city but I fear that given your political prejudices, I may not be able to convince you... Matt
.
I would suggest that as a councillor i really think that it is your duty to serve our city, which i am sure you do, and on occasions justify decisions that are made by the council.
.
It is possible that my political prejudices may be won over if your arguement or spirited defence is sound enough. But feel rest assured if it is not i will advise you of that.
.
In the meantime your alies on this site will tamely fight your corner.I wouldn't want them on my side in a war though
freemantlegirl2
says...
6:51pm Mon 19 Oct 09
Councillor Matthew Dean wrote:More on Spin Doctors, more on expensive Architect's fees and plans of hairbrained schemes that have no chance of getting off the ground in the forseeable future, including bridges over the Bargate and whatever else we don't need!
Just a point of fact;
We are spending more on the roads...
more on the elderly...
and more on education...
Southy, I admire you because you do believe fervently in your party. I don't always agree with what you say but you are a stalwart, not many of those about these days. I wouldn't vote for the SP purely because I don't believe in the UK we are able to sustain a socialist system any more, our society just won't sustain that sort of set up any more. I used to be left of left when I was younger but have become more realistic in my old age. I demonstrated against the Poll Tax in London when Thatcher was in power. I guess I'm getting old! ;) I do know one thing though, I won't be told by some little upstart who's been on the Council for all of five minutes and alive for not much longer what they spend money on. Talk about teaching us all to suck eggs!
Derek of Dibden Purlieu
says...
7:05pm Mon 19 Oct 09
Cyber-Fug wrote:Haven't you worked out yet that the poor old boy changes everything and anything to suit his rather weak arguments. After a while you learn to expect it. Just because you happen to work for the SCC, Southy will still be convinced that he's more of an authority because he lives in one of their Council houses to be close to his roots.
southy wrote:Southy, once again you are so wrong.... 37hours it is - trust me on this one!!
Condor Man wrote:37 hours try again, they do 48 hour week. 37 hours week was in the days back before the 80's
Family Man wrote:Most SCC staff use flex to maximise their holidays. Few work over their 37 hours unless they want to claim flex. They are the most flexible employer in the region.
Condor man: Flexi time is an agreement whereby employees are able to flex their time, and is entirely resource neutral. So any hours worked in excess of conditioned hours can be taken as time off, attendance times can be changed within set limits (so for eaxample you could work 10:00 - 18:00 and 07:30 - 15:30 another) but with business need overriding everything. Any flexi time off has to be made up so that full conditioned hours are worked. It is not an entitlement to additional time off... but in allowing time to be flexed, you do not have often vexacious requests to attend school assemblies, time to take children to hospital, time off to let the gas man in.... It is very much a win-win situation for both employer and employee. Your comment was ill-informed and ill conceived.
Condor Man
says...
7:54pm Mon 19 Oct 09
Iw61
says...
8:04pm Mon 19 Oct 09
Condor Man wrote:A lot of Private companies have very generous flexi time so its nothing new or expensive.
I don't know any SCC staff that work any longer than they have to, and I know a lot of them
southy
says...
8:22pm Mon 19 Oct 09
Cyber-Fug wrote:i dont because i know its 48 hour week, and they are paid by contract salary, they start at 8am finish at 6pm, 30 min unpaid lunch break. they are there way before the doors are open, and after the doors are closed, and some times those doors dont close for some till 10pm. but many of the female staff are there part time, and not full time.
southy wrote:Southy, once again you are so wrong.... 37hours it is - trust me on this one!!
Condor Man wrote:37 hours try again, they do 48 hour week. 37 hours week was in the days back before the 80's
Family Man wrote:Most SCC staff use flex to maximise their holidays. Few work over their 37 hours unless they want to claim flex. They are the most flexible employer in the region.
Condor man: Flexi time is an agreement whereby employees are able to flex their time, and is entirely resource neutral. So any hours worked in excess of conditioned hours can be taken as time off, attendance times can be changed within set limits (so for eaxample you could work 10:00 - 18:00 and 07:30 - 15:30 another) but with business need overriding everything. Any flexi time off has to be made up so that full conditioned hours are worked. It is not an entitlement to additional time off... but in allowing time to be flexed, you do not have often vexacious requests to attend school assemblies, time to take children to hospital, time off to let the gas man in.... It is very much a win-win situation for both employer and employee. Your comment was ill-informed and ill conceived.
Condor Man
says...
8:33pm Mon 19 Oct 09
southy
says...
8:37pm Mon 19 Oct 09
freemantlegirl2 wrote:come on freemantle you got to give matt his due, he was being honest. when he said they are spending more money on the elderly, and that is very true, i can not fault him on that, but for the fact that it cost more to keep our elderly in private care, a lot more in fact. also they are to in education more money being paid to the trusts and not on ground force workers or beds or medicines ect,
Councillor Matthew Dean wrote:More on Spin Doctors, more on expensive Architect's fees and plans of hairbrained schemes that have no chance of getting off the ground in the forseeable future, including bridges over the Bargate and whatever else we don't need!
Just a point of fact;
We are spending more on the roads...
more on the elderly...
and more on education...
Southy, I admire you because you do believe fervently in your party. I don't always agree with what you say but you are a stalwart, not many of those about these days. I wouldn't vote for the SP purely because I don't believe in the UK we are able to sustain a socialist system any more, our society just won't sustain that sort of set up any more. I used to be left of left when I was younger but have become more realistic in my old age. I demonstrated against the Poll Tax in London when Thatcher was in power. I guess I'm getting old! ;) I do know one thing though, I won't be told by some little upstart who's been on the Council for all of five minutes and alive for not much longer what they spend money on. Talk about teaching us all to suck eggs!
southy
says...
8:46pm Mon 19 Oct 09
Condor Man wrote:across the green from me one lad who works for the council is up and out of the house to get on the 7am bus to town, and he dont come home till 6-40 pm.
Southy, no employer pays for staff to have a lunch break. I don't know of anyone working these sort of hours for SCC, most get longer holidays and better pensions than those in the private sector.
there are some that still pays for a lunch break not many now, if you go back to before the 1980's there was loads of them, but one of the requirements was to stay on site of work and have your lunch there. but since the 80's this has all most disapeared.
Condor Man
says...
8:50pm Mon 19 Oct 09
southy wrote:I think you've missing the point, at work you are only paid for the hours you WORK, no one is ever paid for lunchbreaks.
Condor Man wrote: Southy, no employer pays for staff to have a lunch break. I don't know of anyone working these sort of hours for SCC, most get longer holidays and better pensions than those in the private sector.across the green from me one lad who works for the council is up and out of the house to get on the 7am bus to town, and he dont come home till 6-40 pm. there are some that still pays for a lunch break not many now, if you go back to before the 1980's there was loads of them, but one of the requirements was to stay on site of work and have your lunch there. but since the 80's this has all most disapeared.
senseofsouthampton
says...
8:55pm Mon 19 Oct 09
Lone Ranger wrote:It'll be a cold day in hell if you ever changed your political persuasion LR.
Councillor Matthew Dean wrote:On the contrary Cllr.....i really would like someone to give a spirited defence of your parties actions as i am not like one or two on this site who, on the face of it, cream up to the Tory party.
Lone Ranger, I would be happy to give you a spirited defence of what the council is doing to further the interests of the city but I fear that given your political prejudices, I may not be able to convince you... Matt
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I would suggest that as a councillor i really think that it is your duty to serve our city, which i am sure you do, and on occasions justify decisions that are made by the council.
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It is possible that my political prejudices may be won over if your arguement or spirited defence is sound enough. But feel rest assured if it is not i will advise you of that.
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In the meantime your alies on this site will tamely fight your corner.I wouldn't want them on my side in a war though
Interesting that you mention who you'd have by your side at a time of war. I certainly wouldn't want the man you spend your time on here apologising on behalf of (Mr Denham for those of you who are unaware of Lone Ranger's blind love for the man who used at least try to represent Southampton). Having served in the RN I certainly wouldn't want Denham anywhere near me if it came to warfighting, if his actions over the Iraq war are anything to go by. On top of which he'd probably spend most of his time disrespecting his fellow soldiers based on his shameful decision to snub the PWRR's homecoming parade earlier this year.
B. L.
says...
9:56pm Mon 19 Oct 09
simon soton wrote:I just wanted to show this post again as a reminder.
I work for the Council, the standard weekly hours is 37 hours and you can take up to 13 flexi days per year suibject to having sufficient credit the month before, get the facts right!
THIS person works for the Council and should know what he's talking about with regard to working hours.
Let me repeat that in case you missed it, THIS person works for the Council and knows what he's talking about with regard to working hours.
There. Fact. Not plucking figures and facts from the air about weekly and flexible hours.
Thank you simon, but you need to realise that you are not allowed to confuse the issue with facts, it's goes against the grain of this website. :o)
southy
says...
11:00pm Mon 19 Oct 09
southy
says...
11:06pm Mon 19 Oct 09
freemantlegirl2
says...
8:03am Tue 20 Oct 09
southy wrote:You've misread my post Southy, I don't disagree that they 'may' have spent more on certain things, but then again there has been 'more' government money at their disposal, particularly with regard to education. The way we treat our elderly population is appalling and I seem to remember not long back two care homes getting a reprieve because the council wanted to close them! What I'm saying is that the Council are spending more on needless things like Spin doctors and architect's fees for 'schemes' in this current climate it's madness.
freemantlegirl2 wrote:come on freemantle you got to give matt his due, he was being honest. when he said they are spending more money on the elderly, and that is very true, i can not fault him on that, but for the fact that it cost more to keep our elderly in private care, a lot more in fact. also they are to in education more money being paid to the trusts and not on ground force workers or beds or medicines ect,
Councillor Matthew Dean wrote:More on Spin Doctors, more on expensive Architect's fees and plans of hairbrained schemes that have no chance of getting off the ground in the forseeable future, including bridges over the Bargate and whatever else we don't need!
Just a point of fact;
We are spending more on the roads...
more on the elderly...
and more on education...
Southy, I admire you because you do believe fervently in your party. I don't always agree with what you say but you are a stalwart, not many of those about these days. I wouldn't vote for the SP purely because I don't believe in the UK we are able to sustain a socialist system any more, our society just won't sustain that sort of set up any more. I used to be left of left when I was younger but have become more realistic in my old age. I demonstrated against the Poll Tax in London when Thatcher was in power. I guess I'm getting old! ;) I do know one thing though, I won't be told by some little upstart who's been on the Council for all of five minutes and alive for not much longer what they spend money on. Talk about teaching us all to suck eggs!
Lone Ranger
says...
8:23am Tue 20 Oct 09
I assume you will be taking a day off work then to see the parade.
I also didn't say who i would have by my side in a war.
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You really must start to read the facts and absorb the content before you get too excited and respond with any old clap trap
southy
says...
1:03pm Tue 20 Oct 09
those oap homes where they birchwood and whiteheaven, if it is then far has i am aware they got closed.
but if your on about rivendale and chorley one was saved the other is going to be closed, but because one was saved the torys and the trust are now wanting to closed down woodlodge, the socialist party was in on this right from the start, and got a very big thank you from the familys and doctors and nurses for there big part in helping to save chorley house mental ward,
MrGMan
says...
1:07pm Tue 20 Oct 09
then what? Where's the money coming from?
As a point of information the echo said the communications budget was being cut by £100k in total so it isn't increasing.
And the echo also says cllrs are taking a pay freeze.
So where is the money coming from freemantle girl?
Or should that be freemantle harpee?
stmarysmush says...
12:26pm Mon 19 Oct 09
VOTE BNP GIVE THEM THEIR CHANCE.