Where York’s budget axe may fall to save £21 million

SEVEN days from now, the true impact of sweeping Government cuts on the residents of York will be known.

Councillors will hammer out City of York Council’s budget for 2011/12 next Thursday night, as the authority is tasked with saving £21 million and shedding 170 jobs over the next year.

The savings proposals tabled by the ruling Liberal Democrats, with opposition parties announcing their alternative budgets over the next week, cover everything from adult social care and services for children and young people to transport, parks and street-cleaning.

Today, The Press provides a breakdown of where the cuts may strike and where cash could be injected.

Kersten England, council chief executive, called the budget “one of the toughest of this generation”.

She said: “While the council’s funding from central Government will be cut by 13 per cent, we still need to meet the challenges posed by an increasing elderly population, more vulnerable young people needing the council’s care and extra costs associated with waste disposal.”

She said views from residents and organisations had been important in shaping the budget.

Mrs England said: “The extent of the funding reduction means that we will have to be much more innovative in the way we work if we are to protect services for the future.

“This means working much more closely with our partners in health, police, fire, education and business, voluntary and community sectors.”

She said York had already saved £9 million through its More for York programme and said the council would still invest in supporting the prosperity of the city.

Investment proposals

· £2 million extra for adult social care

· £657,000 added to highway maintenance budget (from council reserves)

· £132,000 jobs fighting fund (including funding for Green Jobs Fund, roll-out of Kingsway West Project, Local Enterprise Partnership work, restoring subscriptions to Welcome to Yorkshire) and £50,000 for Future Prospects

· £700,000 for building insulation programme, including fitting of double-glazing

· £100,000 a year until 2015/16 for Energy Generation Project

· £1 million over five years for energy-efficient bulbs in street lights

· £40,000 winter maintenance budget for ward committees

· £1 million pupil premium

· £1.2 million over five years for telecare services

· £1 million for 2012/13 towards Leeman Road flood defence scheme and £85,000 for other flood defence work.

The proposed savings

Adult, Children and Education Services

· Elderly people’s homes (possible staff reductions, reducing overtime and agency workers, partnership working): £750,000

· Review of day-care services including possible change of provider: £274,000

· Looking at private or voluntary sector to provide home support services: £225,000

· Revised non-residential charging policy (possible increase in care costs for some): £350,000

· Review of sheltered housing extra-care support with possible change of provider: £168,000

· Review of night domiciliary care with potential change of provider: £100,000

· Funding reduction for stroke care and support: £59,000

· Changes to reablement service with possible privatisation: £268,000

· Reduction in Supporting People grant: £739,000

· Review of young people’s services with 15 jobs lost: £100,000

· Review of Connexions service providing information, advice and guidance for young people with nine jobs lost: £205,000

· Review of Early Years and Children’s Centres with about 11 jobs lost and some reduced services: £1.052 million

· Restructure of School Improvement Service with eight to 12 jobs lost: £1.247 million

· Review of children’s social care administration with up to six jobs lost: £82,000

· End project supporting mental health intervention programmes for children in schools: £197,000

· Review of youth offending team with four jobs lost: £109,000

· Stopping nursery pilot scheme offering free childcare for two-year-olds: £213,000.

TOTAL: £11.43 million (95-99 jobs lost – 88-92 in children and young people’s services, six or seven in adult social services).

City Strategy

· Newly-tendered bus services (savings anticipated from reduced prices, with some services changed): £50,000

· Reduction in cycle training instructors, reduced number of sessions and increased charges: £40,000

· Withdrawing concession from raceday bus services: £4,000

· Reduce traffic surveys: £15,000

· More income from specialist markets and city centre events: £20,000

· Reduced contribution to Visit York: £60,000

· Reduced contribution to Science City York: £80,000

· 50p charge for concessionary badge-holders at Park&Ride sites: £250,000

· Reduce bus information service: £10,000

· Scaling back staffed customer desk at York Designer Outlet Park&Ride site: £40,000

· Reduced budget for new Respark schemes: £10,000

· Two per cent increase in standard Respark charges and ten per cent increase in high-emission vehicle permits: £12,000

· 10p-an-hour increase in car-parking charges in autumn 2011: £50,000.

TOTAL: £1.978m (25 to 28 jobs lost)

Communities and Neighbourhood Services

· Reducing agency staff: £100,000

· Review fees and charges with some increases: £50,000

· Restructure adult education service with reduction in posts, free childcare and outreach work: £95,000

· Reduce funding for SHINE (formerly School’s Out) activities by 11 per cent: £10,000

· Reduce Better Play Grants funding by seven per cent: £10,000

· Reduce staffing levels at branch libraries by self-issue technology and volunteers: £40,000

· Changing weekend opening times for five main parks: £10,000

· Energise centre “efficiency measures”: £100,000

· Review of Peripatetic Music Service with staff reductions: £41,000

· Reduce York Community Pride budget: £10,000

· Reduce Your Ward newsletter spending with more use of libraries and email: £10,000

· Review mobile cleaning service with possible staff reductions: £17,000

· Review city centre caretaking with possible staff reductions: £63,000

· Review waste and recycling rounds: £130,000

· Move to four-weekly winter collections of green waste with staff reductions: £110,000

· Review street cleaning with possible staff reductions: £75,000

· More resilient bollards to cut costs of replacements following accidents: £58,000

· Trial round-the-clock opening for Hull Road Park, remove weekend/evening attendants, leave park unlocked overnight, remove flower beds and replace with grass and shrubs, two jobs lost: £38,000

· Reduce ward committee budgets by ten per cent: £56,000

· Increased allotment charges: £12,000.

TOTAL: £4.159 million (40 jobs lost – 35 in neighbourhoods and housing and five in leisure, culture and social inclusion)

Customer and Business Support Services

· Review of insurance arrangements: £80,000

· Advertising on council website: £20,000

· Review of training arrangements: £20,000

· Review of mobile phone contract: £15,000

· Creating central pool for agency recruitment: £20,000.

TOTAL: £1.526 million (5.5 jobs lost)

Chief Executive office

· Reduce budget for Holocaust Memorial Day: £4,000

· Reduce Your City newspaper costs: £31,000

· Reduce number of Talkabout citizens’ consultation panels: £3,000

· Stop quarterly News In Depth staff communication scheme: £6,000.

TOTAL: £650,000 (15 jobs lost; 13 already removed through restructuring with two more proposed)