Ernie Clark. Hilperton Division, Wiltshire Council.

Tory WCC always had budget problems, now WC has them ...

At the cabinet meeting yesterday (22 September), Jane Scott and her merry band of men reviewed the council’s budget and agreed to adopt measures to manage early projections of an estimated overspend.

The early projection of £3.8m represents a worst-case scenario for the council. The reduction in income in the first four months of the new council is in key service areas including planning, building control, car parks and public protection highlighting the downturn in the economy.

The cabinet agreed it was appropriate to manage the potential overspend as early as possible. Measures to manage the reduction in income are being put in place including reviewing vacant posts, how the council procures and commissions some of its services, how it is marketing services that generate income (for example building control, leisure) and how it can reduce high cost spend areas such as the number of clients in bed and breakfast accommodation and other temporary accommodation.

Cllr. John Noeken, lead cabinet member for resources, said: “This is a difficult time and we cannot go into next year with a budget overspend, we have to be prudent and to manage any potential overspend so that our front line services are not affected and that we can continue to put our customers first.”

When Jane was so keen to plunge the county into her brave new unitary world, we were assured how rosy the future would be. Instead, we seem to be getting more-of-the-same from the Conservative administration.

As Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr said 'Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose' - the more it changes, the more it's the same thing.