Residents have say on City council budget cuts

Public consultation meeting at Bulwell Riverside centre to discuss budgets with councillors. l-r is Cllr Ginny Klein, Cllr Alan Clark, Henry Wattley from Bulwell, Robin Goodwin from Top Valley and Cllr Eunice Campbell.

A consultation took place at Bulwell Riverside and residents were invited to comment on the council’s draft budget for 2014-15.

It was also an opportunity to talk to the members for Bulwell and Bulwell Forest wards on the council.

A leaflet published for the event claimed that because of shrinking Government funding and other factors, the council would have to make a further £25.5m of savings next year.

“We’ve worked hard to manage our finances successfully over the last few years and protect services where we can,” the leaflet went on.

“We remain ambitious for the city and will do all we can with our private-sector partners to support the local economy and provide local jobs for local people.

“But we have reached the point where simply becoming more efficient at what we do will not be enough to cover the huge reductions at funding we have to face.

“Difficult decisions about council services will need to be made in order to balance our budget. We need to hear the views of local residents and businesses to help us understand how decisions like these will affect people as we prepare for the difficult challenges ahead.”

Coun Alan Clark, a Labour member for Bulwell Forest on the council, said the city was clearly being treated unfairly in the funding which the Government provided for day-to-day services.

For instance, Nottingham was losing £127 per household compared with £5 for Windsor and Maidenhead.

Big challenges to the city council are posed by a 5.6 per cent increase in the number of children in care since 2012, a projected six per cent rise in the number of elderly people with limiting long-term illnesses by 2020, and an expected increase of 17 per cent in the number of school pupils by 2017.

Residents were asked to complete a survey, offering comments and suggestions about specific budget proposals.

One man at the meeting who did not want to be named said: “I agree with council employees getting the minimum wage but this should not be at the expense of cutting some of the jobs.”