Report on County Council Matters to North Nibley Parish Council

6^th March 2017

County Council Budget 2017/18

The County Council meeting last month included setting next year’s budget and lasted over six hours.

At the start of the meeting the Labour group said it should be postponed because uniquely this year the Government had not then agreed the final financial settlement for the coming year. The Labour proposal was lost. We now know there were no changes in the financial settlement.

The Conservative administration then proposed a 2017/18 budget of £402.68M, as previously recommended by a Cabinet meeting two weeks’ previously.

This figure represents a decrease in cash terms of £5.78M from the current year due to a significant reduction in Government grant funding (£17.28M or 14.5%). Overall, the budget will have absorbed £35.34M of “savings” to achieve this. Government grant funding will almost disappear over the next few years.

The Liberal Democrats put forward a series of amendments totalling an extra £6.09M by drawing down on various reserves held by the County Council. This was therefore achieved without any further increase in council tax over the original Conservative budget.

The Labour group did not put forward any amendments, basically saying they would not start from here.

After a long adjournment in the meeting, the Conservatives proposed an amendment to their own budget incorporating a similar extra £6.02M into their proposals, including a UKIP amendment to secure that member’s support! However there were some differences in the way it would be allocated.

A few days before the meeting the Police and Crime Commissioner announced that he was withdrawing from the Road Safety Partnership because of year on year reductions in the County Council’s contribution towards running it. So, at the meeting, the Conservatives had to propose an increase in this contribution of £390k to address the gap the PCC’s withdrawal will create in the Partnership’s funding.

The budget with the Conservative amendments was passed with Liberal Democrats abstaining and Labour voting against.

On highways, the amendments reinstate the present year’s Highways Local funding at £30k per councillor and the lengthsmen funding at £0.5M for the county. The £100k to assist making Traffic Regulation Orders was reinstated. The Liberal Democrats’ earlier amendments were very similar but had more flexibility. Both groups’ proposals added £4M to the highways’ budget. In press releases the Conservatives are claiming they have added £9M to highways spending, but this figure includes £6M of Government grants to the council, which any administration would hardly have refused!

There were additions to the funding of services to children and young people and to adults. These were £0.5M less than proposed by the Liberal Democrats and with important differences.

At the end of the meeting the increase in the council tax precept therefore remained as in the consultation draft as 1.99% plus an additional 2% adult social care levy permitted by the Government. This increases the county council share of council tax at Band D by £45.25 to £1179.26.

The Government would have allowed the council to increase the social care levy by 3%, but the Cabinet member responsible claimed this was not needed.

Highways Local Funding 2017/18

Because of the county elections in May, no funds will be committed to Highways Local until afterwards, meaning that it will not be possible to deliver all the projects by the end of the next financial year on 31^st March 2018. The 2017/18 programme will therefore run until 30^th June 2018. Existing members can identify potential projects ahead of the election.

The same principle will apply to the Children’s Activity Fund.

Fire and Rescue Service

County councillors are strongly of the view that this highly efficient service should remain with the County Council. The Government are encouraging Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) to take over the service. The Home Office has given the Gloucestershire PCC £100k to consider the merits of this. He would have to produce a business case for the change, as would the County Council for the service to remain with the council. The decision would be made by an independent person appointed by the Home Secretary…

Following the PCC’s decision to withdraw from the Road Safety Partnership, in answer to a council member’s question, Cabinet Members said there was a “robust working relationship” with the PCC.

Street Lights’ LED conversion

As you will be aware from an earlier email I sent, North Nibley street lights other than those on main roads and any of “heritage” design are now to be replaced this month.

John Cordwell