Budget Proposals - February 2011

Finding the Savings

Published on Sunday 20th February 2011

Obviously any increased spending commitments have to be matched by savings in our overall spending.

Below we have outlined where we would be able to achieve these savings from the administrations proposed budget for 2011/12.

Resources

Across the Department of Resources additional savings of £1.713 million have been identified. The main movements are:

• Currently the council spends an excessive £2.56 million on Policy and Communications. An additional £0.750 million saving has been identified in addition to proposed savings from the administration. This includes, scrapping the self publicising literature, in line with government policy, produced by council would offer considerable savings in the region of £0.285 million. The remaining savings could be saved through reductions in spending on staffing, marketing, multi-media and publicity. 
• Removal of Council-funded smart-phones/mobile phones and associated support staff from non-essential users could achieve a saving of £0.536 million
• A saving of £0.029 million could be achieved through rationalisation of the PA support to Corporate Directors.
• Further rationalisation of the Finance Team could result in an additional saving of £0.200 million.
• A further £78,000 reduction in other Corporate Resource budgets could be achieved from efficiency reviews (Human Resources - £50,000, Revenues & Benefits - £16,000; and the Chief Executive’s budget - £12,000)
• An increase in planned Strategic Property savings on 10% could result in a saving of £0.120 million.

Corporate

• Withdrawal of £0.200 million year one investment funding for Big Society. We believe that funding for Big Society Projects should be met through the sponsoring departments.

Neighbourhood and Planning

• A saving of £0.225 could be found through the reduction in the usage of consultants and streamlining of service delivery across the Highways service.

Community Services

• An additional £0.100 million could be found through efficiency savings achieved through further centralisation of commissioning and performance.
• £0.104 million could be achieved through a service review of Heritage and Arts services which includes not filling currently vacant posts.

Children and Education

• An additional £0.190 million could be found through efficiency savings achieved through further centralisation of commissioning and performance.

Download a copy of the Liberal Democrat Wiltshire Council Budget Response