City of York Council's ‘missing savings’ (From York Press)
Get in touch: send your photos, videos, news & views by texting YORK to 80360 or send an email»
£882k of savings earmarked by City of York Council have not been made
8:50am Thursday 21st February 2013 in News
By Mark Stead, Political Reporter
Conservative councillor Paul Healey
ALMOST £900,000 of savings earmarked by council bosses to help balance their budget have not been made, new figures have revealed.
A rundown of how City of York Council has performed against targets for cutting expenditure during 2012/13, obtained by the authority’s Conservative group, has shown an £882,000 gap with just over a month of the financial year remaining.
The council approved £5.477 million of planned savings when its 2012/13 budget was set last February, but figures from the authority’s finance officials have shown £547,000 of the expected shortfall has not been off-set, meaning replacement savings have yet to be found elsewhere.
The areas where cost-cutting targets have not been met include the waste services section, where the budget had looked to save £50,000 through reducing the cost of collecting garden waste and £150,000 by reducing the number of collection vehicles and crews.
Planned savings in other areas have been delayed, with the details provided by officials saying some of the gaps had been filled by underspends in other areas.
Conservative councillor Paul Healey claimed the figures indicated financial “incompetence” by the Labour group which controls the council.
“This has resulted in extra financial pressures in this budget which could have been avoided, and throws into question the ability of the council to meet the financial challenges which lie ahead.
“Council leader James Alexander and his cabinet are more interested in continuing to borrow to deliver political gimmicks instead of concentrating on core services demanded by residents.”
Coun Julie Gunnell, the council’s cabinet member for corporate services, accused the Conservatives of “inconsistency on saving versus spending”, saying they had recently called for more expenditure on bus services and had advocated spending £1 million on refurbishing the Guildhall for council purposes.
“With huge savings of £62 million to be delivered over five years due to the Government, it is understandable there will, at times, be some rescheduling in the work programme,” she said.
“We are focused on bringing the council in on budget for a second consecutive year in very testing circumstances, and we should be judged on that.”
Comments(23)
Kevin Turvey
says...
9:20am Thu 21 Feb 13
Benjamin Disraeli (1804–1881)
Dictionary definition of Politician:
a person who is active in party politics.
a person who holds a political office.
a person skilled in political government or administration; statesman or stateswoman.
an expert in politics or political government.
a seeker or holder of public office, who is more concerned about winning favour or retaining power than about maintaining principles.
Look at the bottom definition of politician above, does it fit in this case?
The real issue behind the spin and official figures that are massaged in the way that fits the PR requirements of the day is that this council and it’s ‘leadership’ is deliberately putting itself on a course of financial suicide that we the council tax payer will have to foot the bill when they eventually put their hands up and say we don’t know how it happened!
The voter checks and balances are not working and a dictatorial attitude has developed further!
This council works for us, the general population to deliver essential services, not for their own petty power struggles or vanity projects that in reality only stroke their already overinflated egos.
Time they were charged with gross negligence and removed from office.
James Alexander you should resign!
At least the leader of North Yorkshire county council had the strength of character and honour to resign.
They do not have a clue what they are storing up!
The current political dissent in this country will spill over into a rather more serious issue that will change this country forever!
The warning signs are there but are being ignored.
Madasanibbotson
says...
9:37am Thu 21 Feb 13
If he had any honour he would resign.
Candy Cupcake
says...
9:57am Thu 21 Feb 13
Madasanibbotson wrote:Lol that is my sentiments exactly!!! they talk a good talk, and quick to blame the Coalition instead of looking at what can be achieved!!! £1.5 million on new IT and furniture for the new offices??? and I know they will not have got the best deal, this is where the private sector and the public sector are poles apart!
As JA can't run his own bank account properly, did we really expect him to make the savings?
If he had any honour he would resign.
eboracum99
says...
10:51am Thu 21 Feb 13
eboracum99
says...
10:53am Thu 21 Feb 13
Capt. Dobie
says...
11:03am Thu 21 Feb 13
Is that what Candy Cupcake was on about? You KNOW they won't have got the best deal...
Let's have a snoop and see what they spent £900k on last year...
Candy Cupcake
says...
11:37am Thu 21 Feb 13
Capt. Dobie wrote:exactly!!! I worked in the Private Healthcare industry for years, my remit was to control the budget/spending, but I worked very closely with the Clinical Staff to ensure we met our objectives at the same time as keeping a rein on spending... I do not advocate privatisation but I know there is a lot that can be learnt from the private sector, so employing a good Commercial Business Manager would certainly ensure money is spent wisely, and waste on hair brain ideas kept to a minimum along with accountability!! Instead we have Monkey's playing with jars and peanuts!
What about all that furniture that CYC chucked in a skip last week?
Is that what Candy Cupcake was on about? You KNOW they won't have got the best deal...
Let's have a snoop and see what they spent £900k on last year...
Kevin Turvey
says...
11:42am Thu 21 Feb 13
Instead we have Monkey's playing with jars and peanuts!’
I would amend your comment to say:
‘Instead we have unaccountable and incompetent Monkey's playing with very expensive and delicate jars and peanuts that are owned by the population as a whole, not them!
Capt. Dobie
says...
12:16pm Thu 21 Feb 13
mary poppins21
says...
12:18pm Thu 21 Feb 13
Madasanibbotson wrote:JA & Gunnell get out NOW you have done enough damage. You are both a complete waste of money
As JA can't run his own bank account properly, did we really expect him to make the savings? If he had any honour he would resign.
Tom6187
says...
3:18pm Thu 21 Feb 13
Madasanibbotson
says...
4:55pm Thu 21 Feb 13
Tom6187 wrote:If JA was tweeting and also had headphones on then the headphones must had been someone spelling the tweets to him.
I drove past the fox pub the other day, James Alexander was stood in the car park with his headphones in his ears tweeting away. He just didn't look like the council leader, if you told somebody that he was the leader who didn't know they would be shocked.
meme
says...
5:29pm Thu 21 Feb 13
They talk the talk but dont walk the walk.
Its all spin/PR and frankly rubbish they spout. They could not deliver the traditional drink in a brewery even if it were free!
However wht's concerning is are any of the other parties different
The only ones who have not had a go recently are the Conservatives and will they be better...Frankly who knows?
Madasanibbotson
says...
5:48pm Thu 21 Feb 13
meme wrote:Will the Conservaties be any better ?
Does anyone consider this suprising
They talk the talk but dont walk the walk.
Its all spin/PR and frankly rubbish they spout. They could not deliver the traditional drink in a brewery even if it were free!
However wht's concerning is are any of the other parties different
The only ones who have not had a go recently are the Conservatives and will they be better...Frankly who knows?
The latest failing by JA was discovered by Paul Healey, a Cionservative. A quick search shows that Mr Healey runs a business. So would you rather have JA who can't run his own bank account, look after your money ?
Easy choice in my opinion.
York Shire
says...
7:03pm Thu 21 Feb 13
Micklegate
says...
8:35pm Thu 21 Feb 13
Madasanibbotson wrote:Are you not reassured that James Alexander had a Saturday job in Jessops? (Whatever happened to them?)
meme wrote:Will the Conservaties be any better ?
Does anyone consider this suprising
They talk the talk but dont walk the walk.
Its all spin/PR and frankly rubbish they spout. They could not deliver the traditional drink in a brewery even if it were free!
However wht's concerning is are any of the other parties different
The only ones who have not had a go recently are the Conservatives and will they be better...Frankly who knows?
The latest failing by JA was discovered by Paul Healey, a Cionservative. A quick search shows that Mr Healey runs a business. So would you rather have JA who can't run his own bank account, look after your money ?
Easy choice in my opinion.
Torkie
says...
9:21pm Thu 21 Feb 13
Scarlet Pimpernel
says...
10:04pm Thu 21 Feb 13
Candy Cupcake wrote:It was £1.4m on desks and chairs, plus another £1m on IT, plus £600k making five-year old James Street offices open plan !
Madasanibbotson wrote:Lol that is my sentiments exactly!!! they talk a good talk, and quick to blame the Coalition instead of looking at what can be achieved!!! £1.5 million on new IT and furniture for the new offices??? and I know they will not have got the best deal, this is where the private sector and the public sector are poles apart!
As JA can't run his own bank account properly, did we really expect him to make the savings?
If he had any honour he would resign.
That's £3m in total.
IT'S A DISGRACE !
Scarlet Pimpernel
says...
10:10pm Thu 21 Feb 13
York Shire wrote:I think that you will find that previously loyal Labour voters have given up on Alexander and his incompetent cronies.
The Conservative PR machine is in overdrive today. If you are going to personally attack people, you should disclose your name.
Only their stooges would try and defend the rank ineptitude of this shambolic Labour administration.
They are a joke !
Scarlet Pimpernel
says...
10:25pm Thu 21 Feb 13
meme wrote:If they (Conservatives) are to be trusted with responsibility, then I would like to see them speak out against the Get York Building report scandal. This has yet to be reported by the Press, and it concerns the blatant cheating and manipulation by officers in contriving and misreporting the findings of a flawed survey, to arrive at the conclusions they required.
Does anyone consider this suprising
They talk the talk but dont walk the walk.
Its all spin/PR and frankly rubbish they spout. They could not deliver the traditional drink in a brewery even if it were free!
However wht's concerning is are any of the other parties different
The only ones who have not had a go recently are the Conservatives and will they be better...Frankly who knows?
This needs to be condemned, and those responsible should lose their jobs, including the Director who has allowed this on their watch.
In any other walk of life, those responsible would be facing a custodial sentence.
This is the most shocking case of local government cheating that I have ever heard of. Labour councillors are also culpable for being members of the politically biased Get York Building board.
mary poppins21
says...
11:05pm Thu 21 Feb 13
Torkie wrote:Should have gone to specsavers...
Sexy Julie, won't you run away with me ? We can take the arts barge and head for Mexico with everyones lovely tax monies.
oi oi savaloy
says...
7:22am Fri 22 Feb 13
this phoney labour bunch should hang there heads in shame and resign now, before they do any more damaged to our once wondeful city!!
BL2 says...
9:03am Thu 21 Feb 13