March 2010 - Adobe PDF - Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council

<strong>Stockton</strong> News <strong>March</strong> / April <strong>2010</strong>
Page 39
Value for money
and efficiencies
help keep Council
budget on course
Despite the effects of the ‘credit
crunch’ and rising pressures on
services, <strong>Stockton</strong> Borough Council
ratified proposals for an annual
Council tax rise of 2 per cent – half of
what the Council originally planned in
last year’s budget.
Thanks to putting in place long term financial
planning more than a decade ago, the
Council has been able to weather the recent
downturn and has continued to provide
efficient services and value for money for the
Borough’s residents.
For Band A Council Tax payers – almost half
the Borough’s total – the rise will mean an
extra 31 pence a week.
The Council estimates it will save £12m by
2013 through various initiatives. These
include its Efficiency, Improvement and
Transformation Programme which started last
year, reviewing travel allowances for Council
staff, looking at ways of extending partnering
with others such as the groundbreaking
public sector partnership already established
with Darlington Borough Council, and by
making the procurement process more
effective.
These savings will be achieved at the same
time as protecting front line services and
jobs and at a time when both Government
funding and income are reducing and
demands on services such as benefits,
safeguarding vulnerable people and personal
care for an aging population are increasing.
The budget has been put forward by the
Council’s power-sharing administration
formed by Labour and Conservative
Councillors.
Neil Schneider, <strong>Stockton</strong> Council’s Chief
Executive, said: “Although the times have
been testing for all local authorities, <strong>Stockton</strong>
has fared well. The Audit Commission has
recognised this by giving us a top ‘excellent’
rating for the way we use our resources. We
are one of the top three English unitary or
county councils to have achieved this.
“We are aware that the recession has hit
residents hard, which is why we have tried
to make the increase in Council Tax as low
as possible. Long term, robust financial
planning has allowed us to achieve this.
“Over the last year we have undertaken
a wide range of reviews of our services to
see whether there is a way in which we can
deliver quality services more efficiently for
our residents.
“We are a resilient organisation and will keep
on track with our programme of investment,
although we are aware of the need to plan
for the increased demands we are facing.”
Make
a call
Roseberry Library has a
new telephone linking
direct to the Council’s
Customer Service
Centres.
Free to use, it is the first of
what may be a small number
of access points to be trialled
at the Borough’s libraries
over the coming months. It
is another example of our
commitment to making
it as easy as possible for
people to contact services
such as bulky household
waste removal, council tax,
planning, school admissions,
highway maintenance and
many more.
A year
from
now…
A census takes place
every ten years and, a
year from now, the next
one is due.
The Office for National
Statistics will carry out the
census across England and
Wales on Sunday, 27 <strong>March</strong>
2011. Everyone is asked the
same questions on the same
day, to give a snapshot of the
population.
The information is used to
plan services and resources
such as transport, housing,
healthcare and education.
Respondents can complete
answers online or post
questionnaires back.
It’s vital everyone takes
part to give the best picture
possible, so mark the date in
your diary.