Report of Stroud District Matters to North Nibley Annual Parish Assembly. 4 April 2011

Councillor Paul Smith

During the past civic year I have served on two Stroud District Council (SDC) Committees, the Performance Overview and Scrutiny Committee of which I was also elected Chairman for the fifth year running, and the Audit Committee. In addition I was re-elected by Council as their representative on the Stroud District Road Safety Liaison Group for which I am Vice-Chair.

Much of the year has been spent regarding the proposed cuts in central funding. When the figures were announced they turned out to be worse than expected. Stroud's settlement being one of the worst in England. The cuts amounted to a cut of 16.8% for 2011/12 and 13.5% in 2012/13. In real terms a reduction from £6.546m to £4.673m over 2 years; a fall of £1.873m.

This has meant that the administration has made a number of cut which has included the following:

1. Reduction in staffing of 40 posts.

2. Grants to outside bodies are down to £10,500.

3. Service level agreements: Gloucestershire First and GRCC are the first to go.

4. Only £10,000 for voluntary local transport services.

5. Only £10,000 for local businesses for new projects.

6. £200,000 is to be taken from Reserves for energy efficiency.

7. Local Government Finance is to be totally reviewed in 2 years’ time.

8. Neighbourhood Wardens down from twelve to eight.

9. Gardening assistance schemes to be given to Town/parish councils to fund.

In addition the Swimming Pools not owned by Stroud has been handed back with no further funding from the district council in future years. Further saving are likely to be made by the possibility of handing back Town/Parish Councils owned car parks for them to finance which up to now have been run by the district council. Further all joint use sports centre (in our case the KLB sports centre and Rednocks Sport Centre) are under review with the possibility of being handed back to the owners to finance.

Over the last year SDC has carried out a review of Sheltered housing due to funding cuts and a reduction in Supporting People grant. Instead of each Sheltered Housing scheme having its own manager a number of small schemes will share their managers. Also managers will be working within the community to meet the wider needs of the elderly outside the sheltered housing scheme. As Vice-Chair of the Housing Management Forum Cllr. June Cordwell has been involved with the progress of this review.

Over the last twelve months the Performance Overview and Scrutiny Committee have been looking at the Planning Scheme of Delegation by forming a task and finish group which I chaired. The scope of the task and finish group was to cut costs by 28%(in fact 40% was achieved) and increasing the speed and consistency of determining planning applications while retaining the democratic input of residents, ward councillors and town/parish councils. However while a number of recommendations were accepted by the Conservative Administration the recommendations to allow the present rules which allow Town/Parish Councils and Ward Members to call in a planning application and send it to the Development Control Committee, was defeated. The Cabinet's recommended a counter proposal that only allowed planning applications to be called in with the agreement of the Chair of the Development Control Committee and the Head of Planning, which was in the end approved.

The Canal development pushed through by the Conservative Administration eighteen months ago has now committed SDC to some £2.748m this financial year with another £1.016m budgeted for next year. No other capital schemes are shown in their budgets over the next four years. The monies so far budgeted for the scheme would have more then financed the cuts so far imposed by central government bearing in mind that the canal project in only for a 6km section with dead ends at either end.

Finally: I would like to thank my fellow Ward Councillor's Cllr June Cordwell and Cllr Alan O' Connor for the support we give each other and further I would like to say that it is an honour to serve the residents of North Nibley and I wish to thank you for your support and hospitality during the past year.

District Councillor Paul Smith