Telford & Wrekin Council begins to close £13 million savings gap
Telford & Wrekin Council says it has begun to narrow a £13 million savings gap that it must find in the next year, following unprecedented cuts in government grant leaving the Council to find savings of £40 million by 2014.
The Council had already put forward £9.3 million of savings proposals for 2013/14 in March, when its budget proposals for the current year were agreed. However, current projections show this is still £3.7 million short of what is needed.
A report to the Council’s cabinet shows that it has now identified how this remaining projected shortfall could be found. Proposals include over £800,000 from further efficiency measures and £1 million from NHS Telford & Wrekin to help fund a shortfall in the Council’s bill for continuing healthcare, services typically provided to the borough’s growing older population.
Other proposals include improving procurement of services it buys. The council will also make savings by increasing income for some services and targeted restructuring of staff, while the Council will also benefit from dividends from West Mercia Energy.
The Council will also save money by rationalising the number of properties it owns. An example of this are its moves to centralise staff at the new Wellington Civic and Leisure Centre and in Telford Town Centre in Darby House and Addenbrooke House, a former tax office office, which this is due to open next year.
This has allowed the Council to sell off a number of smaller properties that it owned, helping to generate extra income.
The report, which will be considered by the cabinet on 28 June, says that these initiatives together are expected to meet the £3.7 million savings gap target.
Cllr Bill McClements, cabinet member for Resources and Service Delivery, said: “After three years of the biggest cuts ever in local government grant which have taken £30 million from our budget, the scale of savings we still have to find mean an impact on services and staff is sadly inevitable.
“We will continue to work very closely with the community and our employees to look at ways that we can make these savings while keeping the impact on services to a minimum.
“These savings give us a good start but we will continue to face a very difficult challenge and will be launching a consultation on this shortly in which I hope thousands of people will take as they did last year.”
You can keep up to date with the Council’s budget at www.telford.gov.uk/budget
