H.B.C. Council Tax/savings.

[Ken Moss]

Originally Posted by MargaretR

Oi!!! -as an ex civil servant I take exception to that.
It is not the civil service we discuss here - it is local government service
...a whole different ball game I can assure you

I humbly stand corrected.....

[MargaretR]

Originally Posted by Ken Moss

I humbly stand corrected.....

I should think so too - a local councillor should know the difference

[g jones]

I read this on ConHome but I doubt it true. I have never see a copy in 8 years of the LEP.

We do purchase the Ob and LET. Not sure about magazines and periodicals.

£14k approx is £170 approx pe week. Seems high?? 50p a paper would equate to 340 copies a week?

LCC cut the bill on periodicals. I think someone posting on ConHome (candidate IIRC?) has got crossed wires between HBC and LCC.

[garinda]

Originally Posted by g jones

I read this on ConHome but I doubt it true.

Surely not.

The Conservatives, guilty of sloppiness and inaccuracy?

It does seem an outrageous amount, but having the direct quote from Cllr. Britcliffe does makes it appear as though the facts are reproduced verbatim.

Still, they say all publicity is good publicity.

[garinda]

Whether factually accurate or not, no one's corrected the figures on the ConservativeHome website.

There's never a young political activist around when you need one.

[Ken Moss]

Originally Posted by MargaretR

I should think so too - a local councillor should know the difference

Very nice of you to say that, Margaret, and I'm always open to correction when I'm wrong. However, I'm not actually a councillor.....yet.

They could have done with an accountant like you when they blew £200k on the new logo for Burnley council.

[g jones]

The article is here
ConservativeHome's Local Government Blog: Hyndburn freezes Council Tax

[garinda]

Originally Posted by g jones

The article is here
ConservativeHome's Local Government Blog: Hyndburn freezes Council Tax

Er...and here, in post one of the thread.

Originally Posted by garinda

H.B.C. have announced the next Council Tax will be frozen, and identified some ways to save money, including...

'£14,000 by buying fewer copies of the Lancashire Evening Post'
ConservativeHome's Local Government Blog: Hyndburn freezes Council Tax

Fourteen grand spent on what's basically a local paper...in Preston!

Like our own area's Lancashire Telegraph, it has a website, which is totally free to access.

How many copies of the Lancashire Evening Post can be bought with £14,000. in a year?

What are they doing, insulating the roof at Scaitcliffe House with it?

If they're spending this amount of our money on non-local newspapers, finding other daft things to save a million quid on should be a breeze.

[garinda]

Though if the figures are incorrect, which we can only hope, no Tory eager beaver has bothered to amend them.

[steeljack]

Originally Posted by garinda

Though if the figures are incorrect, which we can only hope, no Tory eager beaver has bothered to amend them.

Why are the Council buying an Evening paper (Lancashire Evening Post), surely all the folks at the public trough have gone home for the day by the time the paper comes out ?

Whats happened to AndrewB ?, he used to keep us updated on the local fiddles and the comings and goings of the local Tories . Hope G Jones hasn't had him kidnapped to some Labour gulag for re-education for asking too many questions

I'm joking , Labour would never admit to kidnapping and brainwashing

[garinda]

Originally Posted by steeljack

Why are the Council buying an Evening paper (Lancashire Evening Post), surely all the folks at the public trough have gone home for the day by the time the paper comes out ?

...and it's all free, gratis, costing nowt... when online, the very next day.

You could argue the press office should have a copy, but fifty two pence multiplied by the six days it's published, times by the weeks in a year, does not equate to fourteen thousand pounds per annum.

[Acrylic-bob]

Originally Posted by garinda

The council leader Cllr Peter Britcliffe said before the meeting:

“Just in the next financial year we must make £1 million of savings and I am calling on all councillors and staff to unite and come forward with ideas to cut costs and keep council tax low.
“Over the next four weeks it is vital that we all join together to find the cost reductions that the people of Hyndburn need.”

I've got an idea that would shave shedloads of money from the council's budget and prove just how committed to saving taxpayers money our councillors really are.

How about forgoing their Allowances and Expenses for a year, starting with 'I'm worth every penny' Britcliffe?

Then perhaps something could be done about restricting the provision of interest free loans to council employees, followed swiftly by ending the practice of providing ludicrously generous relocation grants and Golden Handshakes.

I have often thought that in an organisation which employs so many women it is deeply odd that the concept of strict budgeting should be so difficult to achieve and maintain. One wonders what their home lives must be like. If they run their homes like this council appears to be run, then perhaps it is no wonder they need so many perks and privileges.

[Acrylic-bob]

Another thought; As the government is very keen on encouraging the increased use of Public Transport as a way of reducing the country's carbon footprint. Why does this council not provide an example to us all by removing the allowances it pays for its employees to travel by car and insist instead that it will only reimburse public transport costs? The amount of carparking space taken up by Scaitcliffe House, positioned as it is in the centre of town, is disgraceful. I am sure that the land thus freed could be used to much better purpose, and dare I say it, Profit!

I note that recently the council spent many thousands of our pounds to provide gym facilities for its employees in the old manchester bank building on Canon Street. Surely it would be far cheaper and much more environmentally friendly to encourage it's employees to walk wherever they are going.

[Neil]

Originally Posted by Acrylic-bob

How about forgoing their Allowances and Expenses for a year

So you want the position of Councillor to exclusive to the rich who can afford to work for nothing?

That is one of your not so good ideas

[Neil]

Originally Posted by Acrylic-bob

Another thought; As the government is very keen on encouraging the increased use of Public Transport as a way of reducing the country's carbon footprint. Why does this council not provide an example to us all by removing the allowances it pays for its employees to travel by car and insist instead that it will only reimburse public transport costs?

I think you are detached from the real world. Unfortunately public transport is not good enough around here. I can't even get to and from work on public transport. Don't forget the cost of paying employees to stand at bus/train stops and walk to the bus stop etc. A simple meeting in Manchester would take all day instead of just a few hours.

Originally Posted by Acrylic-bob

I note that recently the council spent many thousands of our pounds to provide gym facilities for its employees in the old manchester bank building on Canon Street. Surely it would be far cheaper and much more environmentally friendly to encourage it's employees to walk wherever they are going.

Many businesses provide gym facilities for employees, we have a very nice gym at my work. If you want to encourage the best people to work for you you need to provide more that just wages.