Cabinet recommends budget for 2009/10
Lancaster City Council’s Cabinet yesterday (Tuesday) made a number of recommendations for the 2009/10 budget.
Lancaster City Council’s Cabinet yesterday (Tuesday) made a number of recommendations for the 2009/10 budget.
The recommended budget, which will now go forward to Council, aims to balance the council’s resources with its future priorities.
Coun Abbott Bryning, leader of Lancaster City Council, said: “Setting a budget is always difficult but this year has been especially tough.
“Like all organisations the council’s finances have been impacted upon by the recession and a number of tough choices have had to be made.
“I believe that Cabinet’s recommended budget achieves the right balance between ensuring we continue to provide a range of good services to local people within our exisiting resources.”
Achieving a balanced budget has involved stringent housekeeping and the Cabinet has undertaken a full review of how the council’s services are provided to ensure that customers are receiving effective services delivered in the most efficient ways.
Savings recommended by Cabinet include:
* Efficiency savings at Salt Ayre Sports Centre will save £119,000. The three community pools at Heysham, Carnforth and Hornby will be retained.
* Reduction in mowing at Lancaster Cemetery and on Broadway Bridge in Morecambe. Cabinet decided to not grass over the flower beds on Morecambe seafront and Dalton Square in Lancaster.
* Reducing the mayoral budget.
* Restructuring services so they work more efficiently. Also reducing some service provision and management and support service costs.
* Reducing public toilet provision by 13. The city council will continue to operate 13 public toilets in the district, including at Bull Beck in Caton, and a Community Toilet scheme will be introduced to encourage businesses to open their toilets to the public.
* Discontinuation of the Festival Innovation Fund and associated staffing.
* A reduction in grant to a number of externally supported bodies, including £40,000 to The Dukes in Lancaster. The theatre will still receive a grant of £127,800 from the city council. The Dukes also currently receives a grant of £175,563 from Lancashire County Council and £260,700 From the Arts Council England.
* Reduction in grant to Morecambe and Lancaster CABs of £20,000. The two organisations will still receive a total of £162,800 and will be asked to make efficiency savings by combining management arrangements, rather than reducing their services, in the same way that the city council is changing its own services.
The draft budget will now forward for consideration by Council on March 4.
Council has already set next year’s increase in Council Tax at 4%. This means that from April 2009 Lancaster City Council’s proportion of Council Tax will be around £3.56 a week for the average household.
Date Updated: 19/03/09